Treasure Hunt
by shedoc
Summary: We're going on a treasure hunt... I'm not scared! [jackdaniel]


Dr Daniel Jackson - archaeologist, linguist and all around clever guy - hurried along the corridors, moving automatically out of the way of the people who were also bustling along, going about their own daily business. General Hammond had summoned him to the briefing room from the weekly staff meeting come bitching session where the civilians got it all off their chest and onto his plate. He might complain that Colonel Jack O'Neill was a rigid military thinker, but that didn't make the civilians at the SGC any more flexible - in fact some of them could give the Colonel a run for his money.

Refusing to dwell any further on his team leader and former best friend - all Jack seemed to do lately was tell him to shut up and get out of the way - Daniel pushed the door to the briefing room open and walked quickly to the empty chair at the end of the table opposite Hammond. His eyes flickered rapidly over SG 3 - the marines ignoring or scowling at him as the mood took them, then back to his boss.

"You wanted to see me General?" Daniel sat down, looking at the kindly Texan that had eventually become a good friend. George Hammond had leant Daniel the deposit for his first apartment after his return from Abydos and had made it pretty clear that in his opinion, Daniel was good people. In return Daniel worked himself to the bone to ensure that whatever the General needed to keep the SGC running smoothly and safely he got.

"SG 3 have found something that may be of interest to you, Dr Jackson," there was a warning glance at the Major as he spoke and Daniel looked over at the man. He was frowning unhappily. Obviously not a fan of Dr Jackson and his work, Daniel mused. His knowledge of ancient cultures and languages, coupled with his lack of military stature and bearing made him a bit of an outcast amongst the SG teams - especially those that specialised in combat. He'd heard a lot of jibes about the marines on the base from his own CO and Ferreti, but was usually too grateful that they were there when the Marines were out in the field rescuing his sorry butt to subscribe to them.

"What did you find?" Daniel looked at Frost, who fished out a stack of papers culled from various sources. There were a few torn from the back of manuals, two pieces of notebook paper, and something that looked suspiciously like toilet roll - thankfully unused.

"There's no video," he grunted, thrusting the stack at Daniel, "I numbered the pages."

"I thought all teams were equipped with visual recording devices," Daniel frowned, slipping his glasses into place and rifling quickly through the stack on the off chance that something familiar would jump out at him. No such luck. He glanced up at the rather pregnant silence to his remark and caught the tail end of a particularly nasty glare at one of the corporals.

"It was broken in an accident before we got there," Frost growled at him and Daniel nodded, settling back to look at the first page again. God knows he'd broken enough field equipment in his time - sometimes by accident, sometimes out of necessity to make a weapon or gadget that would help get them out of trouble.

"Ok, then can you draw a floor plan of the structure that you found these in and include any features like columns or altars? Were there any mosaics or friezes on the walls?" he glanced up at the rest of the team, "Who precisely found these?"

"I did," the Sergeant spoke up uncomfortably, "The walls in the structure were bare - it looked like a temple of some kind - sort of Greek in style, all columns and plain white stone, all polished up. There was this big altar in the middle of the temple and it had the only writing on it. We culled as much paper as we could and I copied down what I could see."

"Hmm," Daniel nodded, "Do you think it was a regular place of worship? What sort of culture built the temple?"

"How the hell is he supposed to know? Isn't that your job? We're just Marines," Frost sounded insulted that Daniel would ask a question that was obviously outside their normal field of experience. Hammond opened his mouth to discipline the man but Daniel looked up and fixed him with the stare that never failed to quell the jocks that took his courses when he worked as a graduate student.

"Stupid gets you dead, Major. Especially through the Gate. You're trained in combat - that means you know how to gather intelligence and apply it to the situation. I'm merely asking you to apply that training," Daniel's voice was a mild contrast to his look and Frost glared at him for a moment while the rest of the people in the room held their breath and waited for Daniel's dismemberment to start.

A slow, reluctant grin spread across Frost's face and he nodded once. Looked like the theorist had a set of stones after all.

"Yeah, all right," he conceded and gestured to his Sergeant.

0o0o0

Daniel worked on the notes and measurements in his spare time and got on with the mission prep for SG 4, SG 9 and SG 11 as well. Jack appeared at irregular intervals to complain that Daniel wasn't at his exclusive beck and call, but Daniel was used to that - Jack had done it way back when they were still friends, and Daniel had learned to ignore him.

The language was tricky - it seemed familiar to Daniel and at the same time wasn't in a way that he found intensely frustrating. He had the feeling that he'd know exactly what he was looking at if he could just see it clearly for a brief second. He kept Hammond and Frost updated as to his lack of progress, and occasionally stuck his head around the door of SG 3's ready room to ask a question or clarify a point. He learned to duck quickly, because there was a dartboard affixed to the back of that door and he'd opened it in the middle of a game once or twice.

SG 1 went through on a scheduled recon and Sam Carter found a source of trinium in the hills near the gate. This necessitated the set up of a UAV so they could scout the area thoroughly to be sure that the planet wasn't inhabited, and then samples were secured for testing. Daniel helped out with that end of the deal while Jack and Teal'c took off on a recon of the area.

All in all it was a quiet mission and fairly successful. The Pentagon got some precious metal out of the Stargate program and no one got hurt. Daniel dialled home while Jack congratulated Sam on all her hard work and he sent the GDO signal through before picking up his end of the sample case and following Teal'c through the wormhole. If he noticed the funny looks that Sam and Teal'c were giving him and Jack, Daniel pretended not to notice as he trudged down the ramp and hefted his end of the case onto the trolley. Teal'c straightened and opened his mouth to speak to Daniel when the claxon sounded and the gate activated once more.

Daniel pushed the trolley to the back wall and waited for the all clear or call to action as the SF's stationed in the gate room once again readied their weapons.

"SG 3 is coming through," Siler called down over the PA and the iris hissed open. Teal'c turned to Daniel again as the event horizon bulged and Frost stepped out, followed by his Sergeant and the rest of the team.

"Daniel Jackson…" Teal'c was interrupted when Frost's eyes lit up at the sight of the civilian in the gate room.

"Jackson! Have we got something for you!" he shouted and Daniel smiled an apology at Teal'c as he stepped forward in response to the Sergeant's beckoning wave. The name stitched on the uniform was 'Mooney' and for a moment Daniel wondered if the name had been an asset or impediment in the man's career.

"We got more of that stuff, Doc," Mooney said, fishing around in his pack and producing yet another set of culled paper notes. Frost grinned over at O'Neill, who was beginning to frown. People couldn't just walk up and appropriate a team member like this - at least not right in front of him.

"You don't mind if we borrow Jackson, right O'Neill? Didn't think so," Frost hooked a hand around Daniel's elbow and started towing him along without waiting for a reply. No one had done that since he was a three-year-old kid - not even Jack - so Daniel merely increased his steps until he was walking level with Frost, matching his pace easily.

Mooney's notes were as clear as the first set and Daniel allowed Frost to steer him to the infirmary for SG 3's post mission check up - not noticing that he got one as well as the nursing staff herded him in with SG 3 while the rest of SG 1 arrived - and then was tugged along to the briefing room.

"I was expecting SG 1," Hammond's voice intruded on his thoughts and he glanced up vaguely, taking the seat next to the General.

"I'm sure they're around somewhere," he said vaguely and went right back to the translation while SG 3 reported that they'd gone, seen and conquered quite happily thank you General, and the planet was empty except for yet another of those weird temples with the writing in it that Dr Jackson…

"Got it!" Daniel yelped and leapt out of his chair, heading out of the room with the notes and an excited 'You'll have my report in a couple of hours, sir!' tossed over his shoulder. He dodged nimbly around his team mates, not even breaking stride when Jack yelled,

"Daniel! What's going on?"

"Not now, Jack!" Daniel's voice floated back around the corner he'd just turned, eager to get to the first set of notes and see if his idea was right. It FELT right - in that sublime tingle he always got straight down his spine when the words were flowing just the right way and he knew he was doing good. There hadn't been much praise for little Danny Jackson, so he'd learnt to find it in himself. One of his teachers had described him as 'intrinsically motivated' and he had to admit it was apt - he got his work right for the sake of knowing that he'd done his absolute best. Not needing external approval allowed him to focus in a way that was freeing to his mind. Sometimes it had been the only type of freedom he'd had.

Jack looked up at the owner of the large hand wrapped around his forearm, wondering why Teal'c had chosen to stop him from pursuing their errant team member and getting the answers he wanted from him

"Daniel Jackson does not need you, O'Neill," Teal'c's voice had an ironic edge to it that earned a scowl from Jack and a faint flush from Sam. Teal'c released his warrior brother's arm as SG 3 emerged from the briefing room.

"Hey, O'Neill, go on in. The General is waiting for your report," Frost said on the way past. Jack bristled.

"Hey Frost, what do you want with Jackson?" he snapped. Frost bristled in return - Colonel or no, he was the leader of a team too and no one called him into question in front of his team.

"If you need to know, ask the General. I'm sure he'll be informing the relevant parties when the reports come in. If that's all, sir?"

Frost offered a perfectly correct salute that somehow managed to convey exactly what he thought of Jack O'Neill and then headed on to the showers, leaving the three remaining members of SG 1 to go their debrief.

0o0o0

"Ok, Dr Jackson," Hammond looked at his favourite civilian and smiled at the excited flush in the man's face. It had been a long time since he'd seen that kind of enthusiasm in Daniel's eyes and he was glad of it now.

"What have you got for us?"

SG 3 was slouched around the room and Daniel's faithful blackboard was perched in front of the window that looked out over the gate room. It contained several lines of script, divided by a long chalk line.

"SG 3 have found the beginning of a treasure hunt," Daniel winced when he realised what he'd just said and felt the colour rise in his face. This was so exciting, from so many points of view, that his enthusiasm was threatening to take over.

"Uh huh," Frost eyed him with a marked lack of enthusiasm and Daniel let the iron regard drain away some of his own energy, calming himself down.

"Let me start again," he cleared his throat, "The writings in the two temples that SG 3 have found are the beginning of a trail - left behind by one of the earlier Goa'uld. I believe that this particular Goa'uld never took an Earth God's identity, preferring to rule through a mixture of terrorism and outright brutality. However, when the System Lords began consolidating their power and slave races, this Goa'uld hid a large portion of his weaponry, technology and wealth away. Pursued by Ra and Apophis, the Goa'uld in question went into hiding. He probably abandoned his Unas host to slip away unnoticed."

"Did Ra or Apophis find the stash?" Frost leaned forward. Daniel shrugged, regarding him steadily.

"I don't know. The sheer luck that let you stumble on the first and second site is astounding. It gave me enough data to crack the code that this Goa'uld was using. That was why it took so long for me to figure it out - they'd blurred the language in such a way as to almost make up a knew one."

"Let me get this straight," Hammond interrupted, "In the last week, on top of your other duties, you've not only cracked, but mastered one of the old Goa'uld codes?"

Daniel glanced at him and nodded, his usual humility failing to clue him in to the fact that what he'd done was rather spectacular. He did the work for it's own sake, not for the glory of recognition. Hammond leaned back, a small smile on his face and Frost shook his head for a moment. Mooney was grinning in his seat and Daniel glanced at them uncertainly.

"So what are we looking at here?" Frost waved at the board and Daniel turned to it in relief. Language was easier to figure out than people. He'd learnt that a long time ago.

"This is the address of the world you just went to - still in the code," he pointed to the first half of the board, "And this is the address of the next one in code. I believe that we're looking for eight sites altogether. Each address has eight symbols in it - allowing us to discover the next site and the extra symbol going to the final destination," Daniel isolated the correct symbols and translated them into the addresses that the marines had visited.

"How do you know that?" Mooney asked, tapping a finger on the table. Daniel looked over at him and pulled off his glasses.

"It's in the initial challenge," he replied, "The full text is quite long, but I've put it in the information packets there for you."

Frost opened the folder he'd put aside without a glance and saw that Daniel had laid the whole thing out for them. Mooney was skimming too, flipping back and forth as Daniel continued.

"From what you told me of the placement of the second text I'd say that as we progress down the list the next clue would be harder and harder to find. It's also possible that there will be false trails and of course the ever popular booby-trap to contend with. If SG 3 is given the go ahead to continue with this, General, I'd like permission to go with them," Daniel looked over at his boss and smiled hopefully.

"Wait a minute - SG 3? You're not recommending it gets handed over to SG 1?" Frost blurted and Daniel shook his head.

"It's your discovery," he replied, "And it's likely that Apophis and Ra sent military teams after the cache, because it was heavily guarded. We'll need your military expertise, Major."

"What about Teal'c's expertise - hell O'Neill is no slouch in that department either. And your Major Carter's got the extra brain power you might need," it pained Frost to admit it, but he wanted to see what Daniel said. The scientists' answer would tell Frost a lot about the man that he'd so far dismissed as a geek.

"That's true," Daniel nodded, "Ultimately the decision is yours, General. I feel confident that I can assist SG 3 in the location and retrieval of the cache."

So, credit where it was due, and no offence to anyone. Jackson went up a notch in Frost's regard and he looked to Hammond. He nodded at the querying look that his CO was giving him and Hammond nodded back. There was a warning in the man's eyes that Frost did not discount. Jackson had better not come under any undue harassment. Frost leaned back in his chair - it would all come down to what Jackson was like in the field. His people were good, but they weren't saints - they'd only put up with so much.

"Very well, Dr Jackson. I'll special you to SG 3 for the duration of this exercise. I'll inform Colonel O'Neill that you're relieved of duties from SG 1 - do you have a replacement in mind?" Hammond asked and Frost tuned out the answer, going through Jackson's finely detailed report more closely and wondering if he could get off base before O'Neill blew his stack. The Colonel might not like the archaeologist on his team that much, but he wouldn't appreciate losing him to another team - even if it was temporary. Teal'c was no picnic either - he'd be waiting at Frost's office the minute he heard to explain exactly how the civilian was to be treated. The Jaffa did that to every team that borrowed Jackson and so far no one had wanted to incur his displeasure.

0o0o0

Daniel looked up as the door slammed open and then looked back at his work. Jack stormed over and slammed a hand down on his desk. He left behind a memo announcing Daniel's temporary reassignment and Daniel reflected on the unexpected cowardice of his boss. Likely the man didn't want his eardrums blown out when his 2IC got the word. Daniel took a quiet breath and determined to keep his cool. This apparent betrayal of his team was not going to go unpunished - and when Jack was on the warpath it was best to have your final affairs in good order.

"Hello Jack," Daniel said quietly, reviewing the final translation and inputting it into his computer. He'd thought it best to leave a clear record of what he was expecting and where they were going on this hunt - just in case things went wrong and they needed help. He'd already arranged that with the General, so someone would know where to look and how to interpret the clues that SG 3 and Daniel would be following.

"You want to tell me what you think you're playing at?" Jack shouted, "The Marines? For crying out loud, Daniel! They'll chew you up and spit you out!"

"Major Frost has agreed to accept my presence for the duration of the hunt, and we'll be returning to the SGC in between missions so I can translate the next clue," Daniel repeated the information in the memo quietly and saved the first half of the file before glancing up at Jack's red face. He didn't bother to answer the second half of Jack's shouted comments - his former best friend spent a lot of time lately calling his ability in the field into question. Daniel had learned to live with it. There wasn't much else he could do, short of transferring out of SG 1 permanently. As things were at the moment that option was beginning to look more and more attractive. SG 1 had been the closest thing to family he'd had after Abydos. Given his past track record, Daniel was beginning to think that any family he was a part of was doomed.

"Why the hell didn't you ask for SG 1 to take the mission?" was the next roared comment as Jack failed to find anything to scream about in the first statement. He was still looming over the seated man, his face red from anger. Daniel tried not to look to closely, not wanting to see the hate he felt sure was pouring from Jack's eyes. He could survive anything but Jack's hate.

"SG 3 made the discovery and they were cognizant with the circumstances surrounding the mission already," Daniel paraphrased the next part of the memo quietly, knowing that Jack would find plenty to yell about now.

"We could've gotten cognizant!" his CO insisted at the top of his lungs, "What - you think that we're too stupid to…"

"O'Neill!" Teal'c barked from the doorway and Jack jerked around to look at him, then back at the man he was shouting at. Daniel was to all outward appearances typing with his usual efficiency, but Jack could see the 'expecting to get hit' air to his team mate and cursed under his breath. Daniel's childhood was back to haunt him again, this time with O'Neill as the monster. He reached out to apologise and Daniel flinched slightly before allowing the rough clasp to his shoulder. Jack felt sick to his stomach and let his hand drop away quickly, as if Daniel's shoulder had burnt him. He saw Daniel take the blame for that too and something inside him tore open and bled in response.

"Daniel Jackson," Teal'c said from the doorway, "It is time to consume lunch. Will you join me?"

Daniel was up in a flash, silently slipping away from Jack and out the door, leaving the older man to stare after him in pained horror, wondering how the hell he would fix things this time, and silently grateful that Teal'c had come along to shut him up when he had.

0o0o0

"We'd better go in soon. They mostly come out at night. Mostly."

Newt - Aliens

0o0o0

Frost glared at the bars of the cage holding him, the two Jaffa guards standing by the fire on the other side of the clearing and the world in general. They'd activated some kind of alarm that had called the Jaffa to this miserable little rock. The camp had been attacked while they slept and Frost and his men had only started to come to thirty minutes ago, the shock grenades the Jaffa used wearing off slowly. Phillips and Matthews were in trouble - they'd both taken staff blasts and were bleeding from the usual nasty wounds those things left behind. Jackson was missing - no one had seen or heard from him since they'd woken.

Things had seemed fairly simple. The temple was where they were expecting and Jackson had gone into raptures, exploring every damn inch. Mooney had backed him up while Frost had the rest of the team secure the location and set up camp. The expected writing was no where to be seen - there was only a single symbol on the altar - and Mooney had hauled the civilian protesting loudly from the temple at sundown. The Jaffa had attacked at just before dawn and it was well past sundown now. SG 3 was scheduled to be here for another twelve hours before the General would consider them over due.

"Anything?" Mooney's voice was low, so as not to carry to the guards. The Jaffa had counted noses and gear, come to the conclusion that someone was missing and left the two guards on duty while the rest went searching. The marines hadn't discussed Jackson among themselves - not wanting to risk exposing him to the Jaffa. Of course, with them all out searching anyway it was kind of a moot point…

"Nothing," Frost sighed and turned to look at his men. Phillips was conscious again and also staring out into the jungle around them, looking for some sign of rescue. Matthews had come to and then passed out after the stun grenade had worn off and Frost had made an emergency dressing on the wound in his side.

Heavy footsteps and a dragging noise approached and the two guards stiffened, pointing their staff weapons in the correct direction alertly.

"Jaffa kree!" the growl came out of the darkness and they relaxed as one of their kind stepped into the clearing, dragging an unconscious man in green uniform along by the scruff of his neck. The two Jaffa guards said something that sounded like congratulations while their fellow dropped his prisoner to the ground. The next thing they were jerking on the ground from the zat blasts that came from their former compatriot. A second and then third shot blew them into hot atoms, and the armour retracted sharply.

Daniel Jackson was pale and sweaty, but he got the cage open quickly while asking in a low voice if anyone was hurt.

"Matthews and Phillips," Frost recovered quickly, moving to help Mooney with Matthews while Phillips stumbled upright, a grin plastered all over his face. The other men spread throughout the camp, reclaiming their gear and weapons and securing the area before they made tracks for the gate.

"Got the GDO?" Mooney asked Jackson as they passed and received a jerky nod in reply.

"What about your decoy?" Frost asked as they moved past the slumped form. He could now see that the former Jaffa was dressed sloppily in Jackson's fatigues.

"He's dead," Jackson's voice was soft and hurt, "I didn't have a choice."

"Easy, Jackson," Frost braced him verbally and watched the civilian square his shoulders and take a deep breath. Game face back on, Daniel turned and led the way along the path, back towards the gate. Halfway there Phillips turned to the man who was helping him along with a frown.

"What about our clue?" he asked in a low voice. If they'd gone through all this for nothing he'd be really pissed off. It wasn't likely they'd get a second chance to come back and that meant the hunt was over.

"I got it," Daniel grunted, "That's why they missed me in the initial attack. I was back at the temple."

"The hell you were," Frost growled and then decided that this issue could wait until they were home safely. The gate loomed ahead and they slowed down, looking for evidence that there were guards nearby. Nothing. Phillips grunted when Daniel propped him against a tree and accidentally jostled the wounded shoulder. The archaeologist picked up a nearby stick and threw it at the DHD - hard. It clattered off the metal mushroom and he shrugged at the look Frost gave him.

"Wouldn't be the first time they set up a force field or movement activated weapon," Daniel explained in a whisper. Then they were too busy to discuss it in the run for the gate. Daniel dialled home, sent the code and they ran through just as the first shouts of alarm were heard.

The gate room was chaos, with Frost yelling for Hammond to close the iris and Mooney yelling for the medics. There were a couple of impacts on the now closed shield and then the gate disengaged with its usual whoosh. Hammond entered the gate room in a hurry as stretchers took Phillips and Matthews out, Fraser yelling orders as she ran.

"What happened?" he asked, looking at the very strange sight of Daniel in Jaffa battle armour.

"We were attacked sir - some System Lord must have left remote alarms out there. Dr Jackson was missed in the initial attack and he busted us loose," Frost reported crisply, "He saved our butt's sir."

"Doctor Jackson?" Hammond asked gently. Daniel seemed to be getting paler by the second.

"I need to sit down," he said faintly, "My leg…"

Mooney braced the wilting archaeologist just as Teal'c and Major Carter arrived.

"Daniel Jackson!" Teal'c sent a nasty look at Frost and stepped over to his team mate's side. A quick check revealed the injury and the rough dressing over the thigh wound that his brother the warrior scholar had made.

"It's deep," Carter said in concern, "He's lost a lot of blood."

"Get him to the infirmary," Hammond ordered somewhat redundantly. Frost and Mooney stepped in as Daniel straightened away from Teal'c and Carter's support, insisting he could walk. He had that stubborn tone to his voice that Frost had heard in the arguments he'd seen between O'Neill and Jackson in the corridors. O'Neill might not know the benefits of direct action, but Frost was dammed if the civilian was going to start snowing him.

"Yeah, so come on then," Frost grunted, pulling one of Jackson's arms over his shoulder while Mooney took the other one, "You shoulda said something - instead of carrying Phillips to the gate."

"He walked," Daniel protested and Mooney snorted.

"Give it up, Doc. Just let us do the work now. The quicker you're treated the quicker we can find out where our next destination is, right?" the two marines left the rest of SG 1 and their facilities CO for dust.

0o0o0

The knife wound in Daniel's thigh had been clean but deep. With the rest of SG 3 also on medical stand down there hadn't really been much rush for the translation of the next clue, but his brush with the Jaffa on the third world had made Daniel more determined than ever to solve this puzzle.

Hammond had held the debriefing off for twelve hours and Daniel had wrangled a pair of crutches out of Janet so he could attend. His notes of the inscriptions had been hidden away in his stolen armour, and he'd brought them along to the briefing, listening to Frost and the others detail the attack and their imprisonment while he began the preliminary translation.

He'd reported to Hammond that the guards had come from Anubis and it was likely the System Lord had some idea of the significance of the temple, but had not managed to locate enough of the clues to know for sure where to go next. And as it was impossible to back track from each clue, any symbols that Anubis was missing put him clearly out of the running. The way the Jaffa had preserved their gear rather than the usual destroy tactics spoke to the fact that Anubis was missing out on something. That part of his report over, Daniel had got his head down over the journal and started teasing out the meanings of each symbol. He had a suspicion that the person setting the code was trying to double bluff them…

"Doc?" Mooney sounded amused and Daniel realised he'd missed Hammonds question entirely.

"I'm sorry, General," he apologised and Hammond nodded in response, asking for Daniel's version of their release. The General knew better than to expect Daniel's full attention when he was working on a puzzle like this one.

"I'm afraid I screwed up," Daniel grimaced, "I was trying to find out where the team was being held and one of the Jaffa spotted me. My lack of obvious artillery made me seem like an easy target and he came after me with a knife instead of his zat. It turned into a wrestling match and I managed to retract his armour. The knife went into his eye. Not before he stabbed me, unfortunately."

"Where'd you learn to wrestle?" Frost asked incredulously. Daniel smiled unhappily at the bitter sweet memories that surfaced. At least his sparring partner was once more safe at home with his family.

"On Abydos. Skaara taught me - it was one of the nightly sports the people there indulged in," he looked down at the table for a moment and then back at Frost, finishing his report, "I swapped uniforms with the dead man and dragged him into camp. It distracted the two remaining guards long enough for me to zat them, and then we made our break for it."

"And you managed to get the clue?" Mooney asked eagerly and Daniel nodded at him with a smile. Translations were something he could enthuse over.

"Yeah. The symbol on the altar in the temple was a moon. Remember the skylights in the roof? It lets the moonlight in. You have to stand in the right spot to see the writing, and I copied it down as quickly as I could."

"Why didn't you tell us you were going there?" Frost aired his annoyance - though truth be told if Jackson hadn't gone off like that they'd all be dead now. He was starting to see where O'Neill's impatience came from. You couldn't just wander off on an alien planet.

"I told Matthews; he was on duty," Daniel protested, "I didn't know he'd be hurt too badly to tell you all what was happening later. I know better than to just leave without telling someone where I'm going."

Frost grimaced. Matthews had been on sentry duty while they'd all slept - of course the civilian would inform him where he was going. Matthews wouldn't bother to wake anyone because he could see the temple from where camp had been set up and they had already established the area was fairly secure. The gate was also supposed to be secure - he had a suspicion that their capture had just come down to a bunch of bad luck.

"Sorry, Doc," Frost sighed, and Daniel nodded acceptance immediately. It heated Frost's blood that the man would accept such a lame apology so easily - what the hell was O'Neill telling this guy? That it was ok for your CO to ream you a new one without a just cause?

"No really, Doc," Frost insisted, "I was out of line. You're experienced in the field and hell, you saved our sorry butts with style. I shouldn't have come down on you like that."

Ok, so the last line was over the top - when Frost came down on someone the guy walked away with boot prints on his back - but it was worth it to see the surprise on Jackson's face. Deciding not to listen to any more of O'Neill's opinions about this particular civilian, Frost decided to redirect the briefing.

"When will we know where we're going next?"

"Um, give me a day to double check this and…" Hammond clearing his throat interrupted Daniel. His best linguist was looking peaked, pained and tired and the other men around the table could use some down time too.

"No one will be going anywhere until Doctor Fraser clears you all for active duty," he reminded them, "That's at least a month away. Until then I'm informed you're all on light duties. Go home, gentlemen. Get some rest. We can solve this tomorrow or the day after."

And that was a direct order. Better to get them off the mountain before O'Neill and Teal'c tried taking them apart. There had been enough bloodshed for the time being and those two always got the wind up when their civilian was injured - no matter how or why.

0o0o0

Daniel pushed open the door to SG 3's ready room, leaned to the left to avoid the dart and hobbled inside, his file wedged firmly into the support of his left crutch.

Frost and Mooney had moved his desk from SG 1's ready room to theirs and firmly positioned him in amongst all the clutter the marines stored in this room, as well as setting up a pin board. Several of his books sat on the desk next to the computer and coffee cups. It made sense for them to keep all the information on their mission in one spot, so Daniel hadn't fussed at being 'hijacked' out of his place with SG 1 - especially as he was temporarily off that team and Jack was currently and very pointedly not speaking to him.

"Hey Deej, nice duck," Phillips complimented him, using the nickname that Mooney had come up with and Daniel found privately funny, "How did it go up top?"

"The General agreed to wait on dialling up our next destination in case there were early warning sensors there too. We'll be going in hot next time," Daniel dropped the file on the desk and sat down, nodding his thanks when Phillips got up and poured him a cup of coffee from the machine in the corner. It tasted like it was three weeks old, but that was a definite improvement over the prehistoric stuff they'd first served him.

Phillips produced a deck of cards and Mooney came over with Harvey, so Daniel found himself playing poker again, rather than working on an old translation that SG 9 had brought in as an afterthought a few months ago. The site was lost to them and Daniel was stuck on it at the moment anyway - so he put it aside in favour of some adult company for a while. The General had indicated that it wasn't important, and Daniel was really just doing it in his spare time, for his own curiosity. With him on light duties he was all caught up - someone had dropped a not so subtle hint to his staff that they could work harder and give him a break. He'd have to talk to Teal'c about scaring people like that - it wasn't good for them.

Of SG 1, Teal'c and Sam were still talking to him at least - they had lunch together, or dinner sometimes. Jack had gone nuts over the whole desk and reassignment thing, aired his opinion loudly in Daniel's office where the world and his wife couldn't have failed to hear it and then stalked off. Daniel couldn't figure it out - Jack spent most of his time complaining about everything Daniel said and did, then complained when Daniel stopped doing things with SG 1 and started working with another team. There was no way that Jack thought Daniel was permanently assigned to the Marines - they tolerated him and he was a useful poker player in down time and that was it.

"So Deej," Frost came in and waved them off the saluting and back to the poker, "We got a go date yet?"

Frost's acceptance of Daniel had been a surprise, and Daniel had resolved not to do anything that would jeopardise that - unless of course Frost was about to risk them all in some terminal manner. It wasn't in Daniel to be a doormat for anyone, no matter what the circumstances. That had earned him a reprimand or two over what Jack had called 'snake baiting'.

"Another three weeks," he sighed, and Frost frowned. Idleness was not in his make up - it was why he'd joined the Marines. They always had something going on. It was just that he was tired of the occasional rescue mission and daily training sessions. This 'treasure hunt' thing was interesting and his people were getting one hell of an education in gathering and applying Intel in the field. Jackson was many things, but shy about sharing his work was not one of them. He never made them feel too stupid to live either - a fact that Frost deeply appreciated. They'd all had more than their fill of jarhead jibes over the years.

"I thought you were off those things next week," he gestured to the crutches and Daniel nodded. He only used the things when tired or walking a long distance - in his office or at home they were propped next to the door, and he often only bothered to use one around base unless he was going to run into Fraser.

"He's got some new people in, I think," Daniel hinted and Frost nodded, backing off. Inside Intel - aka gossip - was all well and good, but not in front of the grunts. If their civilian was being sent off to do induction days then so be it. Phillips was two weeks away from being cleared and Matthews was still grounded for the next mission anyway.

Frost went to his desk to review his email and wondered exactly when Jackson had become THEIR civilian.

0o0o0

'Some new people' turned out to be an understatement. Just about every department had an influx of new personnel - including the Marines. Frost was as busy as Jackson - who was conspicuously absent from SG 3's ready room and poker games. With the final, on base inductions completed, General Hammond authorised Frost to take his five new marines through to one of the recently discovered empty worlds for shakedown manoeuvres. In a fit of whimsy he also assigned SG 1 to take the civilians through for their own version of manoeuvres, combining the two missions.

Daniel had been cleared for gate travel again by then, and geared up in a corner of the locker room with the marines, checking his side arm and carefully deaf to the derogatory remarks that were flying thick and fast about civilians and their abilities in the field. Frost watched with narrow eyes as one of the newbies brushed not so courteously past his civilian and watched as Jackson once more sucked it up to get on with the job, not even looking around for his temporary CO to defend him. The Major made a mental note to have words with O'Neill over the proper treatment of Daniel Jackson.

"Walters!" Frost barked, beating Mooney to it. He'd never live it down if his Sergeant showed more manners than he did. The new recruit leapt to attention - Frost hadn't been holding back his ire at all - and barked the expected response.

"Sir yes sir!"

"Why am I seeing wilful disobedience and discourtesy to a ranking officer? Do you have a death wish or are you just stupid?" Frost enjoyed the puzzled look on the corporal's face as he tried to figure out whom he'd been rude to. They never seemed to get this - hell; even O'Neill had conveniently forgotten this little fact of late.

"I don't have a death wish sir!" Walters barked back, quivering in puzzlement. Frost shook his head. It was men like this that gave the core a bad name.

"Then you will show all due respect to Jackson - he is a superior officer and member of this command! In the field he outranks you, me and everyone else out there, including the Colonel who'll be shepherding the civilians today! Do you understand me, Walters?" Frost let the sarcasm flow thickly, wanting to get this over with so they could get on with the mission. He'd read Jackson's file carefully. The man's nominal rank was up there with the General's in contact situations, unless they were directly involved in a military situation. Then the Colonel was in charge. O'Neill had ignored that little bit of information, and Jackson hadn't pushed it. Frost figured the archaeologist was keeping the peace in the early years, though it clearly hadn't lasted if O'Neill was anything to go by.

"The civilian?" Walters looked dumbfounded - an expression he'd obviously spent time mastering.

"Hey!" Mooney snapped from across the room, "If you ever become half as competent as the Doc in the field you'll be a moderately useful grunt!"

Frost nodded, told the corporal to get on with it and turned to his civilian. Jackson's face was totally impassive, though he nodded once to acknowledge his thanks. They moved out quickly, Mooney double timing the men down to the gate room where they were lined up against the wall to wait for the rest of SG 1 and the civilians.

The civilians entered the gate room quietly, some obviously comfortable with the upcoming hike and one or two awkward under their packs. O'Neill shot his wayward archaeologist an impenetrable look until Frost stepped in between the two men, breaking the colonel's line of sight. The gate ground to life, turning slowly and with the usual laboured sounds. Minutes later it gave out the incredible kerwoosh and formed its blue 'puddle'. Frost nodded once and gestured the marines forward and up the ramp.

"Let's go ladies!" Mooney rapped, hustling a few of the newbies forward, "And when we get on the other side - touch NOTHING."

Daniel moved forward with Phillips, exchanging a half grin as they stepped forward. From the look on Phillips face he had some smart comment in mind. Sure enough they emerged on the other side and fanned out into the usual scouting formation while Jack and the first civilian followed.

"I can't help it Sarge, my curiosity draws me to interesting places," Phillips said, scanning the nearby foliage expertly.

"I thought you called that your pecker," Daniel dead panned, days of poker paying off as he got the jab in. Frost snorted and shook his head while Phillips glared in mock ire. Two of the grunts and several of the civilians climbed back onto their feet and tried to shake off the effects of reintegration.

"Break it up you two," he ordered, "O'Neill, we'll meet you at the ridge at nineteen hundred. Phillips, Jackson - you've got point. Move out."

Frost held his breath and hoped like hell, then relaxed when Daniel moved out with consummate skill, as if he shadowed Phillips every time they stepped through the gate, instead of just once on their last not too smooth mission. They were at the edge of the tree lined clearing before O'Neill could start yelling and the marines just ignored that - following their CO's lead. Frost knew there would be fall out from his little order, but he had a point to make to the newbies - marine and civilian alike. Jackson might not have the years of training and formally recognised military rank that was so often associated with fieldwork, but he could sure as shit do whatever was needed to get the job done. Anyway, O'Neill sure could use the reminder.

0o0o0

Daniel smiled over at Teal'c and got up from his crouch beside the fire, replacing the coffee pot and wandering over with his now full mug. Teal'c made room for Daniel to join him and relaxed in relief when Daniel took up the slack in the rather one sided conversation that was being aimed at him by one of the new linguists. SG 1 and the new civilians had reached the camp at precisely nineteen hundred to find the marines had already set up a fire and their tents. Using the last of the daylight, SG 1 managed to get their tents up while Daniel offered advice to the civilians. He'd got them to prepare the evening rations - MRE's didn't require much by way of cooking - and everyone had settled down afterwards to spend a few hours getting to know each other and coming to terms with having three moons overhead.

The ridge wasn't that far from the gate, but Sam and Teal'c had been instructing their new recruits in off world sample gathering and safety precautions as well as moving with a military unit, and the Marines had spent the day practising their covert skills on the local shrubbery and each other. They'd snuck up on SG 1 once or twice, but O'Neill had known they were there each time - as had Teal'c and Carter.

"So, are you going to do your job tomorrow, or are you planning to go play games again?" Jack's voice cut across the next question and Daniel looked up quietly. He felt resigned to yet another argument with his friend and wondered what he had done to make Jack O'Neill hate him so much.

"I'll be with SG 1 tomorrow," he replied and Jack nodded tightly. Daniel noted that his friend looked tired and…unhappy. Wondering what had caused that particular look in Jack's eyes, Daniel failed to also see the hunger in his friend's face. Jack might be a bit of a bastard when it came to his treatment of Daniel, but he missed the man so much it hurt like a physical ache in his chest and made his tongue unfortunately sharper. He knew exactly why he was acting this way and also knew that he could never tell Daniel the reason for his behaviour. That made him even angrier and unfortunately, Daniel came on the receiving end of that anger. It was a vicious circle and Jack couldn't seem to break it.

"What do they have that we don't?" the question slipped out of Jack's mouth almost without his permission.

"They may not like me that much, but they treat me with respect Jack," Daniel sighed, looking into his half empty mug. Teal'c made as if to speak, but was interrupted but Mooney's shout.

"Hey! Indiana Jackson! Get your butt over here - it's poker time!"

"Respect?" Jack sneered. Daniel grinned, and got up. He nodded politely to Teal'c and walked away, chuckling when he reached Mooney's side.

"What?" Mooney asked with feigned innocence and Daniel shook his head.

"Prepare to lose your next pay check, Mooney," Daniel laughed and accepted the clap to the shoulder he got in return.

Jack's face darkened again. Yeah, there was respect there. The nickname had no shades of hate or snideness to it and the men Daniel was sitting with now were accepting his presence easily. It had been like that for SG 1 in the early years - they'd been so good together. Now Jack's anger and jealousy were tearing them apart and he didn't know how to stop their downward spiral.

0o0o0

"I've got a God!Damned! Plaaaaaan!"

Val - Tremors

0o0o0

Walters glared over at Phillips who glared back just as hard. If they could harness the energy of those two glares they could build a weapon and just blow their way the hell out of here.

"What did you touch this time?" Mooney's voice roared over the radio and Phillips sighed. It wasn't his fault the new guy didn't watch his feet - Phillips wouldn't even be in this tin box if he hadn't come over all heroic and tried to pull Walters out of the trap.

"You two injured?" Daniel's voice cut in before anyone could say anything further. Phillips interrogated Walters with another glare, swept their prison for clues and then keyed his radio to reply.

"No - we're good. We've got company though - three skeletons in Jaffa armour. Looks like this is a one way trip, sir," Phillips had no qualms about announcing that - he knew that it would piss Jackson right off and a pissed off Dr Jackson was a stubborn miracle working son of a bitch who never quit.

"Bullshit," the reply had starch and Phillips grinned. Affect achieved. Houston, we have pissed off.

"What did you step on Walters? What can you see in there?" Daniel's voice continued. Both marines had turned on their torches when whatever the hell it was that grabbed them let go.

"Um, we can see blank metal walls, no tracery, glyphs, pictographs or phone numbers," Phillips reported steadily, "There are no windows, or vents and the air is musty. The ceiling is about fifteen feet away and the floor is also metal. Ambient temp isn't too bad - it's about the same as where you are."

"I'm waiting, Walters," Daniel's voice reminded the new marine and he jumped, grabbing his own radio. Despite the fact that he'd learned to treat Dr Jackson with good manners, he'd yet to see Daniel in what Mooney liked to call 'full flight'. For a civilian, Jackson made one hell of a drill sergeant, and could out cuss one as well - they'd found that out when they got him drunk one time and challenged him to a cussing competition. Of course they'd all been fairly drunk by that stage - beer took Jackson out at the ankles, but put him on the spirits and the man was solid as a rock for hours.

"I stepped on a plain flagstone, Doctor Jackson, not one of the ones with the glyphs all over it," Walters winced when that came out sounding defensive. He waited for Phillips to sneer at him, but the experienced corporal was just settling into a corner of the room quietly, turning off his torch to save the batteries and ensuring that he was able to move when needed.

"Right, don't go anywhere while I figure this out," the reply was slightly abstracted and Walters shut his mouth before he could embarrass himself with a stupid comment. Phillips pointed glare and gesture helped of course. He hunkered down as well and switched off his own torch, settling quietly in to wait.

If the air was musty there was a good chance that it wasn't circulating quickly enough for the two of them to survive long anyway - the three Jaffa could just as easily have died from suffocation as starvation. Every now and then Walters would check the time on his watch - having a watch face that glowed in the dark was very useful. When the watch said they'd been there for three hours - that was six radio checks from Frost, one every half hour, though there wasn't much to report as the box they were in didn't change and apparently Daniel was muttering in a language none of the remaining marines understood.

"Right," Daniel's voice said suddenly, making both Marines jump at the unexpected sound, "I think I've got it."

"You and Eliza Doolittle, Deej," Phillips drawled - courtesy of a girlfriend and her obsession with theatre, "What's the deal?"

"Well, basically, I've just got to hit the right combination on the lock and get you out of there. It would help if you stood fairly close together and as still as possible," the reply was an order and Phillips switched his torch on before standing up and moving over to Walters. The other man stood too and they faced each other, close enough to pick out variations in eye colour.

"Hurry up Deej, before I have to marry Walters," Phillips cracked into the radio and then grinned at his outraged team mate. He could just hear the sniggers from the Major and Mooney now. Then the bright light came back and the next thing they knew it was fresh air, sunshine and the real world.

Being extremely careful of where they stepped, the two marines traversed the floor and back outside to rejoin their team mates, following their footsteps on the dusty floor.

"So if we can't get in there, how do we get our clue?" Phillips complained as he tromped down the steps. He narrowed his eyes at his friend, who was a faint pink.

"Spill it, Deej," he mock growled and followed the pointing finger. Around the doorframe, carved deeply and shadowed by the lintel was their clue. The morning sun was at just the right angle to reveal it. Phillips groaned while Mooney jeered at him heartlessly before falling in to head back to the gate.

0o0o0

George Hammond looked up at the knock on his door and mentally gathered his thoughts. Dr Jackson was earlier than he'd expected - obviously soul numbing terror was an effective antidote to a 48 hour bender with the Marines. Major Frost had informed the General of his intentions - and promised faithfully not to pressure their civilian into doing something he really didn't want - so George wasn't too concerned over what he was about to be told. A part of him had a warm glow over the idea that this brilliant man would come and 'confess' his misdeeds to him, like an erring son to his father.

"Come in," he called, and stood when Daniel appeared in his doorway. The archaeologist was pale and rumpled, his eyes limned in dread. Soul numbing terror didn't even begin to describe the state he'd got himself in.

"Dr Jackson? Sit down son!" George leapt up and ushered the stiff body to a chair, pouring a cup of coffee from his private stash and placing it in trembling hands. Wondering if he had to send the base SF's after Frost, George chose to sit beside the SGC's answer to Leonardo DaVinci.

"What's wrong?" Hammond asked gently, deciding not to prolong this. Daniel sighed and finished the last mouthful before leaning over to put the cup on his CO's desk.

"I went out with the Marines, the day before," Daniel winced a little and Hammond chuckled, keeping it light.

"They were initiating the new members," he confirmed, "Lot's of alcohol followed by the SGC marine tattoo."

"Frost said I should get one as well," Daniel sighed, "It's got their rank on, and I…well, I was so rotten with drink, that I just agreed. I thought they'd leave the rank off, but they gave me one anyway…I'm sorry, General. I meant no disrespect to the armed forces. I made them stop before they got too far…"

"What rank did they give you?" George pressed the point, "May I see it?"

Daniel nodded and George got up, moving so he could see the arm that Daniel was baring for him. On the upper bicep rested the symbol for earth with the traditional marines tat in the lower prongs. Underneath that was the single star of a general.

"Damn," George frowned, "You were supposed to have two stars. Major Frost came and discussed this with me before the marines left base."

Daniel gaped at him. This was not the reaction he was expecting and George turned to pull Daniel's personnel file from the stack on his desk, something he'd had ready ever since Frost had given him the heads up. He showed Daniel the part about his ranking, explaining that they'd had to set something up in order to justify the civilian's position in the command structure. Daniel had to be able to give orders to the rank and file, and at the same time commanded all the civilians on base - whether they were a part of his department or not. The SGC was actually two commands - one military, one civilian. George was the CO of the military personnel, and Daniel…

"You actually outrank Colonel O'Neill in peace time," George explained, "And you've proven we were right to make this call time and again. Don't ever think that I'm offended by you, son. You've worked hard to gain recognition with one of our hard core combat teams - you deserve this."

Daniel looked up and nodded, accepting what he was told and folding his sleeve a little cautiously over the new tattoo. After the first three hours it was open air and regular cleansing - as George knew from his own experience. Daniel stood and Hammond reached out on impulse, one hand coming up to cradle the base of his skull, the other resting just below the new tattoo. Daniel flinched for a moment and then relaxed, laying his weary head on the broad shoulder for a moment and letting himself be held - a rare thing in his life, Hammond judged.

"I'm proud of you son," Hammond whispered and felt Daniel shiver for a moment before his arms came up to rest on Hammond's chest. After a moment they broke away, Daniel slipping his jacket on and heading out at George's gentle nod.

The General sat back at his desk and made a mental note to have a word with Ferretti. The marines couldn't take all the honours in claiming Daniel Jackson for their own - though George wasn't so sure that a tattoo was the way to go - it was possible that Daniel wouldn't want any more ink. Of course, George himself hadn't stopped at just one, though he couldn't be seen to encourage the people under his command to get drunk and then get tattooed. Thinking heavily, Hammond picked up the phone and put in the call.

0o0o0

"Back in the saddle again," Jack drawled as they stepped past the DHD and looked at all the trees. Daniel glanced at him and then around the small clearing. There was a path off to one side, slightly overgrown, but still easy to spot. The UAV had found a village five clicks from the gate and Daniel's department hadn't been able to identify the building style. Hammond had put SG 3's next mission on temporary standby and sent Daniel and his team through to see what they could discover. The UAV had also picked up some metal deposits that were rare enough on earth to be of interest to the Pentagon.

"And what a lovely change of scenery," he continued as they fanned out at once to examine the clearing and then drew back into their usual 'hiking along an unknown path with possible natives looming' formation, "Look guys! Trees! How rare and stimulating!"

"How many times do I have to tell you, Teal'c - don't feed him before we go through the event horizon. It always makes him act up," Daniel dropped back a little to whisper this, though judging by Sam's little stumble she'd heard it. Jack, thankfully, had not. Daniel wasn't sure how to take the man who hadn't once hit him with a snide remark or angry glance in the locker room when Daniel had joined his old team this morning. His tat was healed enough for Janet Fraser to authorise him going off world, though none of his team mates had seen it - Daniel had worn the black t that went with his BDUs to work this morning.

"Indeed, I will endeavour to restrain him in the future," Teal'c did his version of whispering and Jack glanced back over his shoulder, a slight frown on his face.

"Do I sense my name being taken in vain back there?" he called lightly and Daniel's heart seized. He could no longer read how Jack would react to his version of humour.

"Yes," Teal'c called back; secure in the knowledge that his brother would have a hard time inflicting damage on him - and that if it came to that, Teal'c could inflict one hell of a lot more. Daniel managed a wincing smile when Jack looked back again and was unprepared for the sorrow in Jack's eyes.

"Ah well, speak up then," Jack let it drop. He didn't want to get into this now - and if Daniel was feeling relaxed enough to drop into the old camaraderie with the big guy then Jack would encourage it. They were losing Daniel through Jack's stubbornness and contentious behaviour and Jack was determined to put a stop to it. Daniel deserved better than he was getting, and needed to be shown how important a team mate and friend he really was. If that meant going back to day one, SG 1's very first mission and starting again, so be it.

Halfway along the path Jack stopped. He felt the team spread into their usual 'cover your back and be ready to run for cover' formation - damn it felt good to know they were all back together for this mission - and watched the path ahead.

Three very naked men stepped out onto the path. They weren't armed and they weren't looking very hostile either - their faces wore politely blank expressions as they checked the four strangers out. One of the men spoke and Daniel shifted forward a little, frowning in concentration.

"Daniel?" Jack asked lightly - a request for information. Daniel moved again, glancing at Jack.

"I understand them - they said hello, but I don't speak this language too well," he warned the colonel and returned the greeting as best he could. The three newcomers chatted quietly together for a moment and then the first one spoke again. Daniel replied to that fluently and they spoke back and forth for a moment.

"They want to know why we offend the gods by hiding our bodies," Daniel informed Jack quietly, "They want us to take our clothes off before we go any further - or we won't be welcome in their village."

"They have the mining rights," Jack shrugged, "It won't be the first time we've gone native."

With no hostiles detected in the surrounding area, SG 1 broke formation. Sam moved to the centre and the three men circled her, backs turned politely while everyone disrobed and packed the BDUs and boots into their packs. By the time they'd finished stripping, Daniel had finished warning them all that he was almost positive that these people spoke English and were playing them for something. The old code was easy to slip into - gestures and movements that blended into the routine of getting undressed and packing the kit away.

The strangers - they hadn't offered their names nor asked theirs - led the way back to the village, talking in the first language that Daniel had trouble with. Teal'c had other things on his mind. While Sam and Jack walked with their P-90's slung low and Daniel merely squared his shoulders and got on with it Teal'c wondered when his friend had got the tattoo. As he did the wondering out loud he attracted his team mates attention and Jack and Sam both came back for a look before moving on again.

Daniel explained in a quiet voice the bender and the General's approval of the rank the tattoo showed - at the same time waiting for Jack to blow his top.

"Hell," Jack sighed quietly, "You really are a jarhead. I was hoping that you'd come back to us full time soon."

"Of course I will!" Daniel protested heatedly, his patience disappearing in a sudden flare of stress, "SG 1 was my team!"

"Was?" Sam asked gently, well aware that she'd held Daniel at a distance as well, following Jack's lead. She hated herself for it and was well aware of the fact that Daniel wouldn't expect that of her - he never wanted people upset on his behalf, even when they deserved his ire Daniel was a forgiving soul.

"And will be again when your tour with SG 3 is done," Jack spoke up before Daniel could, "We'll always have your place open, Daniel. For as long as you want it."

0o0o0

The village turned out to be recently populated - as recently as the UAV flyover that alerted these people to renewed interest in their world. Some judicious eavesdropping - they were multilingual, and Daniel never admitted to knowing the language they finally chose to conspire amongst themselves in - told the people from Tauri that the mines were worked out - hence the abandonment of the people here by the System Lord that had transplanted them. The leaders of the village planned to negotiate miner's rights for weaponry, and disappear into the woods before the Tauri discovered the mines were worthless. The nudity and little quirks they tasked SG 1 with were designed to test their honesty.

Jack laughed pretty hard at that, when Daniel told them silently. He packed SG 1 up, got them dressed and on the path back to the gate. At Jack's order, Daniel replied to every question their now worried hosts asked in English as they headed quickly back to the Gate, hoping to get there before the villagers could unearth their own weapons and cut them off.

"Welcome back SG 1," Hammond said from the bottom of the ramp, running anxious eyes over them all, "How did it go?"

His flagship team had literally popped out of the event horizon and signalled for the iris to close pretty quickly. Daniel had warned the people back there about the iris, and no one tried to follow them.

"The mines are worked out, and the people not trustworthy. Daniel did a kickass job of translating for us and we worked on our all over tans for a bit," Jack grinned at the General who looked puzzled but happy to hear the praise for Daniel. His 2IC had been all too ready to condemn Jackson of late - perhaps that was about to change. The stint that their archaeologist was pulling with SG 3 was teaching the rest of SG 1 a valuable lesson - just as Hammond had hoped it would. He hadn't made General on his ability as a boy scout.

"You can tell me in the briefing," Hammond dismissed them to the infirmary, watching Daniel fall into step with Teal'c. So, not quite back to normal yet, but closer.

As SG 1 headed for the infirmary Frost rounded the corner with a late arrival for the Marines.

"Deej!" he called and Daniel turned back, aware that SG 1 had stopped to wait for him.

"There's someone I want you to meet. This is Sergeant Paul Talley - he'll be joining the contingent on base. Late arrival," Frost explained, "Talley, this is Dr Jackson. Only marine on base with multiple PhD's and more than twenty languages under his belt."

Daniel's face drained of all colour and then flushed again as his childhood reared it's ugly head and bit him on the butt once more. He forced himself to hold out a hand to shake and went along when Talley pretended not to know him. The reaction wasn't lost on Frost. Nor was it lost on SG 1.

"You ok, Deej - looking a little flushed there," Frost had yet to learn the fine art of finagling Daniel into confiding in him. Jack knew how, but was also smart enough to know that any attempt at the moment would be met with extreme suspicion.

"Just sunburned - we ended up at a nudist colony," Daniel gave the Major the details that would divert him, grinning a little when it worked. He retreated under cover of good natured ribbing from his temporary CO and got through the post mission exam and debrief in his usual way. Talley would seek him out if there was a problem - Daniel had no doubt about that.

Hammond dismissed them to regular duties and Daniel escaped quickly to his office. The next mission would be with SG 3 - they were up to the fifth clue now and they'd established a working method of scouting and retrieval that had so far got them the information they needed without anyone getting hurt. Things were getting trickier - there were false messages and all manner of traps to avoid now. Not so secretly, Daniel was having a blast. Phillips, Walters and Matthews were very smooth operators and Mooney and Frost seemed telepathic in their ability to read each other's command minds.

The door crashed open and slammed shut. Daniel was on his feet in a flash, but not quick enough to dodge. Talley had him by the collar and off balance against the shelves before Daniel could clear his desk and artefacts. Daniel stayed passive in the grip, hoping to stop this from escalating out of hand - he didn't want to damage his artefacts and the camera above the door had a clear view of what was happening. Talley's intelligence obviously had atrophied over the years - or maybe he'd just finally slipped the thin noose of sanity. Either way this was going to hurt.

"Hello little brother," Talley sneered in his face, "Long times no see."

"Hello Paul," Daniel kept his voice level and calm, "I was surprised to see you here."

"Not as surprised as me runt," Talley tightened his grip and slammed Daniel into the shelves for emphasis. He felt bruises bloom to life along his shoulders and winced in annoyance. Talley grinned nastily in triumph and did it again to make his point, "You ruined my life once, pretending to be family. Not gonna let you do it again. So the only question is how long it will take you to get the hell out of my family. The marines are all I've got runt, and they like me. Can't imagine why they'd let a snivelling loser like you pretend to be part of them, but it stops now. You do whatever you have to do - just get out of here and keep on going."

Anger coursed through Daniel. The SGC was his…he had more of a right to be here than nearly anyone else. No one was going to scare him off - not Jack and certainly not this blast from his past. This bully was not going to take away his family again. Talley must have divined some of this from the look on Daniel's face and freed a hand to club Daniel pretty hard across the head, sending his glasses flying. The archaeologists ears roared for a moment and the rage boiled over.

Roaring incoherently Daniel stamped down, running his booted foot along Talley's shin and mashing his toes while at the same time driving his arms up to break the marines hold and shove him off balance. Before his opponent could recover Daniel started swinging, driving a fist into the man's stomach and then his right hand in a smashing uppercut that had Talley on his back on the floor.

Talley lashed out with his feet, catching Daniel in the knee and thigh, sending him to the floor with a cry of pain. The larger man pinned him down and smashed a fist into Daniel's face. Daniel struggled, writhed and then kicked one leg straight up like a call girl in the can-can, the toe of his boot catching Talley hard in between the shoulders. The marine grunted and fell forward and Daniel was loose, heading for the door dizzily, trying to stay conscious long enough for the SF's to get here. He had it open when Talley tackled him through it and they fell to the floor in the corridor. They rolled on the floor, trading blows fiercely. Daniel felt a bone snap and knew he had to end it quickly. Arms and legs went into overdrive and Talley ended up an unconscious heap on the floor as the SF's finally rounded the corner, followed closely by Frost, Janet and Jack. Teal'c, Mooney and Sam appeared from the other direction as Daniel staggered upright and away from his so called 'brother'.

"Daniel?" Jack's voice was very gentle as Teal'c steadied him, discovered the broken wrist and supported it carefully while Janet checked Talley. Frost and Mooney moved around their newest recruit to their civilian.

"Sorry," Daniel sighed, "He pissed me off."

The corridor was swimming in and out of focus and three General Hammond's arrived on scene, demanding answers, followed by a litter for Talley as Janet checked Daniel's head and wrist. The noise had Daniel wincing in reaction and everyone immediately quietened down. They all went to the infirmary - even the SF's, who were waiting to discover who they should arrest.

"What happened, son?" Hammond asked gently and Daniel looked up at him blearily. Janet had elected to pass Talley over to her colleagues and stick with Daniel, her touch as gentle as she could make it.

"It's a very long story, General," Daniel sighed. Hammond folded his arms in an 'I'm waiting' gesture that Daniel had come to know very well. Janet knew better than to try and press for this to be done later - Daniel was susceptible at the moment and they'd never get the full story otherwise. She positioned the portable x-ray unit and took a couple of plates, then packed some ice around the injury and started cleaning up the split eyebrow.

"When I was nine…after my parents I was…difficult to deal with…Reverend Talley and his wife took me on…my second foster parents…they were both so patient with me, after a while I trusted them… started behaving again…Paul was fifteen and he was all right…he was their only child…didn't like me much but…he avoided me as much as he could… the Reverend decided to adopt me…when they told Paul he told them he was ok with it…took me out the back into the woods behind the house…beat me…they found me two days later…spent a week unconscious in the hospital, then a couple of months to recover…I never heard from them again…it was nice in there…the nurses gave me presents on my birthday…"

Teal'c eased Daniel down flat as the painkiller Janet had slipped him finally did its work, and ended the dreary tale.

0o0o0

"Get your status quo vadis back. So to speak."

Barry Fife - Strictly Ballroom

0o0o0

Daniel rolled hard to the left, avoiding the energy beam, and on to his feet. He dove through the closing door, scrambled up and started running. Over the coms he heard the shouts of his team mates as they got the hell out of dodge and warned each other of the various traps that were only now starting to activate.

Being the linguist with the know how, Daniel was in the centre of the building and had the furthest to go - not for the first time he thanked his parents for his long legs and handy turn of speed. He'd left his pack and all extraneous gear outside in Walter's care - taking only the digital camera that would let him record the message in the centre of the temple. He'd got three shots - hopefully clear enough to allow him to translate it when they got back to the SGC. The master of the treasure hunt was becoming more and more lethal in his diversions.

Leaping to avoid a pit that opened at his feet, Daniel caught sight of the door. He threw himself flat, skidding along the marble floor and avoiding two more lethal beams, before wrenching himself upright again and flat out sprinting for safety. There had been enough clues around for him to know that this particular temple was well armed and the weaponry active enough to be lethal. He'd kept the team safe - though he needed them to activate certain reactions in the temple to reveal the full message, he'd made sure they knew where to go and had a couple of emergency back up plans.

The door began to seal itself - half dropping from the ceiling while the other half rose from the floor. Daniel let loose a wild yell and threw himself out headfirst, tucking and rolling to protect the splinted wrist and camera he held. He rolled down the stairs painfully and fetched up in an untidy heap on the ground at Frost's feet.

"Indiana Jackson, I presume?" Frost grinned and Daniel grinned back, accepting the hand his temporary CO was holding out to him and moving smoothly to his feet.

"I look heaps better in a fedora than Harrison Ford," he told the major and got an honest belly laugh in reply and a slap to the back, "The team? Everyone got clear?"

"Yep," Frost nodded, "You get the message?"

"Yeahsureyoubetcha," Daniel headed for his gear and Walters, who was putting his own camera away. At the glare that Daniel was offering him he grinned.

"Blackmail material," Walters replied, "And we haven't got any shots of you in the commissary."

The commissary had put together a notice board that the teams put pictures on - nothing alien of course, as NORAD shared this particular venue with them - and the people of the SGC being who they were immediately started posting pictures of their colleagues in embarrassing situations - 'x gets a mud bath', or 'y falls into a slimy pool of whatever'. There were one or two so called action shots - people up trees and down holes, as well as running to or from something - most often a team mate bearing some disgusting object. There was even a shot of Lou Ferretti asleep on Daniel Jackson's shoulder from way back. Daniel - being the intelligent, respectful person that he was - was doing rabbits ears and grinning his head off.

Daniel rolled his eyes at Walters and turned to greet the rest of his team.

"Damn, that was cool," Phillips exclaimed, "Can we ride it again?"

Matthews smacked him up the back of the head and Mooney rolled his eyes while Walters laughed. In the weeks since Talley's arrival and incarceration at Leavenworth SG 3 had been busy with it's regular duties while Daniel recuperated and waited for Fraser to clear him for field duty. The damage to his wrist had been a crack rather than a break and she'd finally agreed to let him into the field if he wore a splint to support the bones. Daniel had been eager for the next clue.

"Two more to go and we'll be heading for the real thing," Frost reminded them as they headed back for the gate, "Let's not get sloppy now, people."

"No, sir," Matthews agreed, "I want to see this out to the end - can't do that if I get my head blown off."

"I hear that," Walters chimed in, "Hey, Doc, have we got any more idea of what loot we'll actually get in the end?"

"Nope," Daniel sighed, "I've checked all the records of the other sites - and there's nothing. Even the original message doesn't specify what's waiting there."

"Deej?" Mooney frowned, "Is that a problem?"

"Not really," Daniel sighed, "It's just…we should consider carefully the idea that this final site could have nothing but death traps waiting for us. I mean, the traps are more and more sophisticated. We've needed military expertise, intelligence and the ability to think outside the square to get this far - I think it's a fair bet a few of the System Lords would have tried and failed to get this far. What better ways to whittle down your opponents?"

"So this last site could be a killing floor?" Frost mused, "Would that Goa'uld have gone to all this trouble? I mean these parasites are fairly arrogant fucks. Wouldn't surprise me if he really did have a cache there. He'd assume that no one would be able to best him."

"That's the other thing," Daniel confessed, "There's also a good chance that he's waiting there himself - in some kind of suspended animation. We don't know what sort of host he has - he may be waiting to trade up. The snakes are only as intelligent as their host - stick one in a monkey and you get a slightly smarter monkey."

"With homicidal tendencies and a desire to rule the universe," Matthews spoke up to break the tension. He got a few chuckles and Daniel shot him a grin in reply. They were moving rapidly back towards the gate as they talked - after the Jaffa had captured them that first time, General Hammond had changed their mission mandates to short jaunts. Or as short as they could manage. No one wanted to get caught a second time and Daniel had approved the decision as well - provided he had enough time to study for what he needed he felt no desire to hang about. The temples were all different in layout and style, though the message wasn't always located in the body of the temple. Hell, some of them weren't even Temples - the treasure master had used caves twice. He was obviously utilising whatever was already there, which made Daniel want to go back and look closer at some of them to see if he could figure out what they were originally used for.

"He must have had a human host - or at least someone who was smart - these traps aren't for dummies, Deej," Mooney protested, "And after all this time wouldn't he have moved on? Ra left earth thousands of years ago, right?"

"I just don't have enough information to tell you for sure who or what this snake had hosting him," Daniel's frustration was evident and they let the subject drop as the gate loomed. It didn't matter - no one wanted off the detail now, they'd put too much effort into it. They'd deal with whatever was waiting for them - they'd beaten the odds together before and would do so again. End of story.

0o0o0

Jack watched, his heart in his mouth, as SG 3 rolled, tumbled and fell down the ramp. The seventh clue - the final one that would lead to the treasure - had obviously been the hardest to attain. The action shot that was now pinned up in the commissary of his Daniel diving through a closing door with a fierce, wild look on his face had stopped Jack's heart for a moment. The caption on the picture had simply been 'yeehaw'. Jack only wanted Daniel to go 'yeehaw' with him, preferably while naked and horizontal.

The event horizon rippled one last time and Daniel's voice was heard, screaming for a medic. He was stained liberally with blood and had Mooney over his shoulders. Staggering under the dead weight, the man Jack loved more than life headed for a litter and Fraser.

"Multiple hits with an energy weapon - not a zat," Daniel gasped, rather unnecessarily. More than one hit with a zat and you were dead, not bleeding. Fraser gave him a worried look - Daniel was very good at fobbing off medical attention and the majority of her people were working on fractures, bleeding and unconsciousness. He was the only one still on his feet - even Frost was down.

"Dr Jackson?" Jack jumped, startled as the General's voice sounded right behind him. The gate had shut down already and people were slowly being wheeled out to the infirmary for further treatment.

"I didn't see the double blind in time - I thought they'd be safe where they were," Daniel swayed and Jack slipped up to his side and wrapped a firm arm around his waist - purely to keep him on his feet of course.

"How did you get them all to the gate?" the General prodded, and Daniel hung his head a little. Jack could feel him shaking as the adrenaline wore off and the pain reported in.

"Walters carried Frost and Mooney took Matthews while I helped Phillips. When Mooney went down too, I went back for them," Daniel's voice was quiet and embarrassed, "I let them down, sir. I'm sorry. I did get the clue - at least I didn't screw that up."

"Report to the infirmary," Hammond's voice was gentle and he gave Jack a significant look. Jack nodded - not that he needed the unspoken order to stay close. There was no way he was leaving Daniel's side.

"Good job, son. You got them all home. We'll do the rest," Hammond patted Daniel gingerly - unsure how much of the blood was Mooney's and how much was Daniel's - and stood back. Daniel nodded and started walking, leaning heavily into the support Jack was offering. His head came up in surprise just as they cleared the blast doors and he peered over at Jack as if aware of him for the first time.

"Jack?" Daniel tried to straighten up, "You'll get your uniform dirty."

"It can be washed," Jack replied, "I'm not letting go, so quit struggling, Daniel."

"I don't want to be a burden," Daniel's whisper was hard to hear, and Jack merely tightened his grip, encouraging the other man to lean as much as he needed.

"You could never be a burden to me," Jack said softly, "This isn't the right time, Daniel, but I'm sorry for the way I cut you out like that. I'm gonna try to do right by you now. I just need a chance here."

"Jack?" Daniel's voice was lost and hurt. He slumped heavily and Jack realised his friend had passed out. He grunted at the sudden extra weight and then Teal'c was there, taking Daniel from his arms easily.

"I do not like this," Teal'c informed Jack as he strode down the corridor to the infirmary, "Daniel Jackson must not be hurt again. General Hammond must be brought to agree that SG 1 accompany Daniel Jackson through the gate from now on."

There was no replying to that - Teal'c knew that he had Jack's total agreement.

0o0o0

"It was a killing floor," Frost reported to Jack from his bed in the infirmary, "Deej found a dead zone that should have been safe, but just plain old wasn't. There was no way he could have predicted what was going to happen - and no way to prevent it. We got us the hell out of there and if he went back like you said…the guy deserves a fucking medal."

"Yeah," Jack grinned, "But what are the chances of that ever happening?"

"Oh I don't know, Colonel," Frost grinned back, "Leave it with me and I'll see what I can do. You say he's going to be released?"

"Yeah, we told Doc Fraser we'd take care of him. The whole team's coming to my house and we'll spend time together. I figure it's going to take at least three of us to keep him fed, watered and quiet. Working in shifts we should be able to manage it."

"Bad patient?" Frost asked sceptically and Jack shook his head. The major must have heard Daniel's little pre-coffee outburst this morning - the General had, and he'd been in the corridor. Three levels away.

Jack arrived at Daniel's side in time to watch Fraser fit the sling needed to support the wrist that Daniel had finally broken - she was worried that the bone wouldn't ever heal strong enough for field work - and take the strain off the lacerated shoulder that was a legacy of Daniel's brush with a few of those energy beams himself. He had another deep graze on his thigh and a strained knee as well. All in all their archaeologist was a mass of aches, pains and twinges and grumpy as hell to boot.

Teal'c appeared with the wheelchair and Sam had coffee to go. Daniel was loaded up gently, Jack refrained from tucking a blanket around him or holding his hand and took the 'controls' instead, wheeling the man he loved out into the corridor and towards freedom.

The three of them got Daniel into Jack's truck and Teal'c took the wheelchair back to the guard post before climbing into Sam's car. Daniel had finished his coffee by then and Sam produced a flask to top him up before getting into her own car and following Jack down the mountain. Jack silently blessed her for that - as Daniel's mood began to improve as the caffeine kicked in and took the edge off.

"Jack - the three of you don't have to baby-sit me. You can drop me at home and I'll tell Fraser that you're in the bathroom or something if she calls," Daniel said as they reached the bottom of the mountain and Jack waited for a gap in the traffic.

"Actually, Danny, it's as much for Teal'c as you - the poor guy has been stuck inside that mountain for a while now, and we can't afford to send him off to see Ry'ac because the Pentagon's got some bee in it's bonnet about off-world leave time. He could do with a break too," Jack produced the lie they'd already established to put off Daniel's 'I'm fine' routine.

Daniel nodded and looked out the window, not wanting to create a fuss in case what Jack was saying was true. He knew he was in for some major mothering, and Sam would do her fair share too - with luck he'd manage to get away for a bit - he didn't think he could manage to watch what he said and did twenty four/seven. He couldn't stand to argue at the moment - Jack had been so friendly of late, and he was fairly sure that they'd said something significant to each other just before Daniel passed out in the corridor. If only he could remember it.

Jack chose to interpret Daniel's sigh as a request for more coffee - he also had a thermos at hand - and topped up Daniel's empty mug at the next light.

"Thanks Jack," Daniel smiled hesitantly and got the old grin in return. The friendly one that Jack had used on him a lot when things had been going well.

"You're welcome Danny," Jack turned his attention to his driving again. The silence was a good one - maybe he hadn't made Danny totally hate him yet.

0o0o0

"Jack!" Sam protested. They weren't using ranks for this week - she and Teal'c were bunking on the couch and floor respectively in what Cassie had called 'the longest sleepover ever' - and Jack had said from the start to drop the ranks. Teal'c alone continued to address them as he always did.

"You can't show Daniel that movie!" she continued, glancing into the lounge where Daniel was currently playing Hounds and Jackal with Teal'c, "It's…it's…"

"Fine, Sam," Jack replied, rolling his eyes, "He'll get a kick out of it."

"Jack, Teal'c and I saw this together, and we both came out agreeing that Daniel would have hated it with a passion," Sam warned, and Jack shook his head.

"Last night when he woke up again I went and sat with him for a bit," Jack told her. Daniel wasn't sleeping well the first two nights home - memories of the killing floor haunted him and disturbed his sleep.

"We got to talking about what he'd like to see, or do provided it wasn't work related. We made a list of movies together - stuff that he would watch and he thought we'd like too. So unless you and Teal'c hated the movie to death…"

"No," Sam admitted with a little grin, "It was kinda fun to critique the action scenes and all the rest… just…are you sure?"

"Positive," Jack told her, "In fact these are his copies."

He left his 2IC standing stunned in the hall and bounced down the steps, singing 'tada' and brandishing the DVD's in his hand. Sam saw Daniel's face light up in recognition and he actually chuckled.

"Ah, yes - Brendan Fraser and the Mummy. Have you seen these yet, Teal'c?" he turned to his chess partner and Teal'c nodded, one eyebrow on the rise.

"I have enjoyed these before," Teal'c rumbled, "However, I felt they dealt with your work very lightly, Daniel Jackson. I did not think you would enjoy them."

"I love them - they're so funny!" Daniel had regained some of the spark that was missing since the last clue, and Teal'c got up from the chess board.

"In that case we will complete our game at some other time. I would enjoy seeing these again with you."

The Jaffa helped Daniel settle on the couch, propping pillows and a throw blanket as well with tender expert care. Sam went to put some instant popcorn in the microwave - Daniel liked his with butter and salt, a deeply guarded secret from Janet who would have had a fit at the damage he was doing to his arteries - and brought out two bowls and a round of soda as well. Jack went back to the kitchen muttering about ice cream and Teal'c darkened the room as much as possible by pulling blinds and curtains. Sam deposited one bowl for Daniel and Jack to share, and took the other over to the couch that she and Teal'c would occupy.

"All we need is an annoying kid kicking the seats and some giggling teenagers and we'll be set for the full movie experience," Jack crowed as he handed Daniel a heaped bowl of ice cream. Daniel took a spoonful and sat up in indignation.

"Hey!" Daniel exclaimed, "I made this! You were in my freezer Jack!"

"I didn't want to risk a power outage - can you imagine the waste of throwing this good stuff away because it defrosted?" Jack handed Teal'c a bowl and passed one to Sam too before plunking himself down on the floor and leaning against Daniel's couch. He hit the remotes and Daniel silenced his half hearted grumbling, choosing to savour his ice cream and the peace of being back - finally - with his team.

0o0o0

"Sorry Venkman - I'm terrified beyond the capability of rational thought."

Igon - Ghostbusters

0o0o0

"Given the increasingly lethal nature of the traps facing us on this treasure hunt, I think we should alter the way we do things this time," Daniel looked around at the filled to capacity briefing room. SG 3 was in full evidence with a few extras besides, and SG 1 was also arranged at one end of the table. Jack and Teal'c were pouring through the very thick file that comprised 'the story so far' and Sam was flicking through the much thinner technology file. General Hammond sat square in his usual seat and leafed through the proposals that Daniel had given him, as well as the additional ones from Frost and Mooney. SG 3 and Daniel were once more cleared for duty, though Matthews wouldn't be travelling through the gate any more - he'd lost all the cartilage in his knee. At Frost's request he was staying with the SGC to train new recruits and work the admin side of things. Daniel had also got him interested in the Intel side of his work. With luck they'd keep him around.

"What do you want to do?" Frost asked, though Daniel had discussed this briefly with him as well.

"I want to send a MALP and UAV at the same time. The last structure we entered was hostile from the very start - it's possible that we will now have to negotiate traps at the gate itself, or in the area surrounding the next temple," Daniel replied, "The UAV will avoid any pressure activated traps and is just manoeuvrable enough to make hitting it difficult - the MALP will provide a good observation platform, provided it survives the initial incursion. Both of them provide atypical heat signatures - the Goa'uld in charge would not have encountered our technology and would probably be setting the traps to trigger off the Goa'uld heat signatures and technology."

"That's some expensive toys you're talking about here," Hammond reminded him, and Daniel nodded. He knew they were once more coming under budget revisions. Equipment couldn't afford to be thrown away.

"I know," he agreed, "But if it's a choice between a MALP life or a human one…"

"Exactly," Hammond smiled, making a note to use that line exactly when he was next questioned about the need for the MALP units in the Stargate program. He'd always managed before, but their linguist slash archaeologist had a way of putting things that sat better with the politicians. As long as he wasn't actually dealing with them face to face - Daniel was notorious for his inability to suffer fools gladly.

"So we send in the MALP and the UAV…" Jack spoke up from his seat opposite Hammond, his tone prompting Daniel to fill in the blanks.

"And we see what is there - if the data is enough for me to make an on the spot evaluation, I might recommend immediate insertion. The longer we wait, the more chances of activating a back up system - I believe that was what turned the blind into a killing floor. I waited too long," Daniel confessed honestly.

"WE waited too long, Deej. The timetable was set on my recommendation, remember? I wanted better weather for your trip into the temple," Frost overrode him and Jack gave his civilian a gentle look. Daniel abandoned the argument - but not, Hammond suspected, the guilt - and moved the briefing along.

"It's also possible that we won't be able to take Sam or Teal'c - the symbiote and the naqueda may trigger other traps. The further we go on the planet, the more risks we face," Daniel sent his apology to Sam with a look, knowing that Teal'c merely accepted his word. He had no wish to put Daniel Jackson in danger by the mere fact of his presence. Sam took reminders of Jolinar personally.

"And we have no further clues what to expect?" Hammond asked. Daniel shook his head unhappily.

"I'm sorry, General, but if there were any, I've missed them. The original message doesn't speak of anything other than the treasure at the end of the quest, and the subsequent sites didn't have any additional writings. Even clue five, which was couched in a riddle, spoke only of the next address and the fifth symbol."

"Very well," Hammond nodded, "We'll go in with full packs plus any additional gear you think you might need. I've got Major Frost's recommendations and yours, Dr Jackson. I'll go over both sets with you and we'll schedule the incursion for tomorrow morning. I want all personnel involved in the incursion to remain on base tonight - there will be sufficient space available for everyone to bunk down. Dismissed."

0o0o0

Hammond had recalled all teams from off world and put the base on high alert for this mission. He wanted the gate on line only for the treasure hunters.

The MALP and UAV emerged from the event horizon and remained unmolested. The control room had been too small to accommodate everyone going to the planet and Daniel had insisted that all travellers would see the terrain and potential hazards before they went. As there wouldn't be enough time to hold a second briefing the General had set up screens in the gate room itself and Daniel had told the troops to speak up if they noticed anything significant.

"It's a jungle," Jack frowned, "So we could be dealing with biologics as well as hostiles."

"And here's me without my triple strength bug repellent," Walters muttered and Daniel rolled his eyes.

"There doesn't appear to be any structures close by, and certainly no obvious weapons near the gate," Mooney said as MALP panned and rolled in a circle around the clearing, "The DHD is clearly undamaged."

"Get the MALP as close to it as you can and have one of the claws reach over and touch it," Frost spoke into his comm. and up in the control room Sam took the controls and jockeyed on over.

"UAV is still over jungle - no paths or structures yet," Phillips reported, watching another set of monitors.

"MALP about to touch the UAV," Sam called over the intercom and everyone turned to watch. There was no reaction as the claw touched the side of the weird looking mushroom, or the crystal in the centre.

"Get me a flare gun!" Daniel called over the noise of people murmuring and Jack nodded. The unusual heat signature might just be enough to activate any heat based traps.

"UAV starting second search pattern," Matthews said over the intercom and Daniel turned to look at the jungle with Phillips.

"Nothing," Phillips growled, "Man, somewhere a Goa'uld is laughing its snaky ass off at the Tauri."

"No," Daniel frowned, "I know we're in the right place."

"Maybe Ra or Apophis beat us to it. They would have cleaned the place out - you know it."

"Hmmm," Daniel's eyes flickered from screen to screen, "I don't think so."

Walters announced that he was about to fire the flare gun and everyone except Phillips turned to watch the test. The flare hit the base of the DHD - the MALP had been moved well clear in order to continue broadcasting - and the people in the gate room let out a sigh of relief as there was once again no reaction.

"Hey!" Phillips barked, "I got a structure!"

Daniel leaned in and had a good look as the UAV circled from a fair height. Beside him Phillips was noting the direction and distance from the gate.

"This is it," he looked up at the control room, "Matthews, send it in lower - lets see if we can trigger anything."

"You got it Deej," Matthews replied and the UAV circled lower and lower. Daniel was muttering under his breath, watching closely. The temple was in a small clearing and Matthews managed to get the UAV down to almost ground level, flying it around the outside while Teal'c panned the camera on board to give them the best views.

"Sir, I recommend we go now," Daniel said after a moment, "I can detect no hostile forces near the gate - and the temple seems quiescent. We won't know until we actually get there."

"Very well, you have a go," Hammond said heavily. This was the most dangerous site - the penultimate trap. Daniel would never forgive himself if they lost people here.

The people in the gate room broke away from the screens. They were all heavily armed and even Daniel carried a P-90 as well as a zat and his usual sidearm. The packs weren't standard - they would need more than the usual field kit on this job. All in all there would be twenty people coming through the gate this time. Hammond just hoped that they'd all come back.

He watched them charge up the ramp, fanning out into the event horizon to reintegrate in a defensive formation on the other side. The MALP showed their arrival and Frost had them hustling out away from the gate and into the foliage.

Their coms crackled to life and Hammond listened as they started the recon and journey to the temple. They would keep the gate on line for as long as possible and dial up again - he wanted to know what his people were doing.

0o0o0

Jack moved quickly at Daniel's shoulder. They were on point with Phillips and Walters, moving quickly along the path. He couldn't reconcile the Daniel he knew with the Daniel he was seeing. His Daniel got a look of fierce concentration on his face when looking at artefacts, not when blazing a trail through the jungle. His Daniel conducted side sweeps and tracked noise with a side arm or zat, not a P-90. His Daniel moved with effortless grace like this one, but…

"We're nearing the temple," Walters reported, "I can see the trees up ahead thinning out."

"Matthews - any sign of activity at the temple?" Daniel asked over the com.

"None, Deej, and we've reactivated the gate once since your arrival. It all looks clear to me," Matthews reported, "Still haven't been able to get any visuals on the interior - the UAV won't fit through the door."

"Understood," Daniel replied, "Frost - orders?"

"Establish a line of sight and wait for us," Frost replied, "O'Neill - he's not to enter that temple alone."

"Agreed," Jack replied. Daniel wouldn't want to risk the others - risk to himself was often discounted as incidental or unimportant. That hadn't changed in the time spent with the marines, though Jack thought he had a better understanding of why Daniel valued himself so little after the run in with Talley. Frost and he were in joint command of this mission, a decision Jack agreed had merit. SG 1 was under represented - Teal'c and Sam were a real loss to the team, though the loss of Daniel had been greater. The succession of linguists, anthropologists and sociologists that had tried to fill Daniel's role in the team had proved that SG 1 were like a group of old dogs - it was too late to teach them new tricks. With SG 3 at full strength it made sense that Frost - who knew them the best - had equal say in the running of the mission.

Daniel shot Jack an impatient look and Phillips took up the slack by asking what he could deduce about the temple from their sheltered position. The archaeologist pulled out his binoculars and started going over the surface of the exterior and tried to focus on the interior as well. Minutes later Frost and the rest of the marines arrived and took up defensive positions.

"Well?" Frost asked and Daniel shook his head. His tone when he replied was cool calm and collected.

"The exterior is no different from the others we've visited - no apparent concealed weaponry or anything to suggest there's concealed weapons either. We won't know till we step out of cover. I can't get a line of site to the interior - I'm going to need to get to the doorway at the very least."

"Phillips, go with him. To the door and no further," Frost readied the troops for the possibility of weapons fire and Daniel and Phillips moved into position. They stepped out of cover quickly, hustling forward and watching the terrain as well as the temple. Jack's heart was in his mouth the entire time as the two men scaled the steps, avoiding certain places and flashing a signal to the remaining troops that the stairs contained pressure activated traps.

Daniel looked carefully through the doorway while Phillips covered him and prepared to pull the other man back. After a moment Daniel fumbled the black light out of his pack and switched it on, sending the beam into the interior to sweep the walls.

There was a roar from the jungle that had everyone tensing and turning to look back the way they had come.

"What the fuck?" Mooney growled, "Deej! We may have company! Big nasty company!"

"Right!" Daniel yelled in acknowledgement and turned off the black light, choosing a normal torch instead to illuminate the interior. He was muttering under his breath and Jack watched Phillips pull his flare gun and fire into the interior of the temple. There was no reaction from the inside or the outside, but whatever was roaring had been joined by some friends and was headed this way. The loud crashes and snarls that they were hearing wasn't pointing to any friendly animal at this point and Jack tightened his grip on his weapon, turning to keep an eye on Daniel.

"Shit!" Walters screamed as a large hairy beast that seemed to be all claws and fangs leapt out at him and went for his throat. The P-90 that he was firing straight into the animal didn't seem to be killing it, though it did slow down for long enough for him to get away.

Jack grabbed his zat and tried hitting the one nearest him with three quick blasts. To his horror the animal only fell to the ground stunned.

"Retreat! Into the temple! Daniel - can we get in there?" Jack roared, and heard the affirmative reply with relief as a marine went down but managed to roll clear. Daniel and Phillips were now on either side of the door, providing cover fire as the marines and Jack pounded across the clearing and dodged up the steps to avoid the traps. The archaeologist and his partner were last in, sliding through the temples door and continuing the lay cover fire as the beasts started after their prey.

They were driven back from the door into the centre of the empty temple by the ferocious animals and the next thing they knew rings had dropped from the ceiling and the temple faded away.

0o0o0

"Look, Friend. I speak thirty four languages FLUENTLY. Gibberish is NOT one of them."

Dangermouse - Close Encounters of the Absurd Kind

0o0o0

"Fuck."

The curse seemed oddly eloquent as the men fanned out and scoped the area. The rings had released them into a dusty reception hall. The wall hangings were tattered and faded - in several places they had fallen down. The place was full of decaying grandeur, and Jack felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise.

"We're on a ship," Daniel said urgently, "Expect Jaffa and wall defences!"

They grabbed the two men who were immobile and hustled quickly to a defensible alcove. Daniel was scanning the décor and generally trying to figure out who they were looking at here. The dust and general decay certainly spoke of thousands of years of neglect - almost as if this particular Goa'uld had given up on ever being found…but why would he need to be found? What was going on here?

There was a shuffling noise over at the doorway and a tiny old man entered very slowly. He was gasping for breath and peering around cautiously. He called out in a quavering voice. Jack didn't recognise the language - a glance told him that Daniel did.

"Stay put," Daniel whispered and slipped away. Using the cover of the drapery he made his way around the room to another alcove and stepped out into the open from there - thus not revealing his team's position. Jack held his gun at the ready, aware that Walters - the Marines sharp shooter - was also covering Daniel with the lightweight snipers rifle he carried. If Daniel was to become a host then he knew that the corporal would kill him quickly.

Daniel answered the old man's question quietly and he jumped. He was wearing decorated robes that had slowly become rags, but his arms and legs clearly showed how emaciated he was. As he swung to face Daniel the milky whiteness of his eyes convinced Jack that the old man had gone blind. The tone he was using and the frown on Daniel's face also said that he was mad.

Daniel spoke again and the old man started shuffling towards him. When Daniel spoke sharply - warning him off by the sound of his tone - the old man ignored him, mumbling too quietly to be heard and still shuffling forward. Daniel began backing away, his zat appearing in his hand and charging with the distinctive sound. The old man stumbled and kept coming, appearing to weaken before their very eyes. Daniel's voice rose, he spoke quickly while still back-pedalling and when the old man's hand reached out for his hand Daniel fired three times in rapid succession.

In the final second before the body became a rapidly expanding cloud of nothing Jack saw the snake in the old man's mouth, trying futilely to leap towards Daniel.

"Jackson, you ok?" Walters called and Daniel nodded, taking a deep breath.

"Yeah," he said, "There's no one else on board - I don't think he was lying about that. Come on out."

Jack jogged over, his eyes checking out the doorway and came to a halt next to his archaeologist. He knew how much Daniel hated to kill, and also what an indescribable loss it would be to the SGC, the planet and himself if Daniel had been snaked. Jack would have shot him in a heartbeat - unwilling to condemn the man he loved to the horror of being a host.

"You did the right thing. You released the host," he said in a soft voice, and Daniel offered him a slightly sad smile before taking a very deep breath and looking around again.

"All right, what have we got?" Frost asked as he reached the two men standing in the middle of the chamber.

"I think," Daniel said, his eyes beginning to gleam with the familiar light, "Provided we can deactivate any further traps this guy has waiting for us, that we just got ourselves a mother ship."

"Well hot damn," Frost breathed.

0o0o0

It wasn't that easy. The first thing they needed to do was check that there were no traps awaiting them. The treasure hunt wasn't successfully completed until they'd managed to take their treasure home, after all. Daniel and Jack were to go forward to the peltac to examine what they could of the command consol while Frost stabilised his two injured men and secured the area. With Daniel being the only one able to read and speak the Goa'uld language he would be stretched very thin for the next few hours - possibly days.

"We need to find the controls for the rings as soon as we can. We need to send a message back to the SGC about what we have and what we're facing. Not to mention we need to decide where to park this thing - if it can even fly still," Frost said before Daniel and Jack set out.

"We'll take it to the Alpha site initially," Daniel told him, "It's as good a place as any. When you send the message back, make sure you tell the General not to contact the Tokra - we don't want them arriving and activating any dead-man-switch that this guy might have left behind. I don't think we should brute this about the mountain either - the last thing we want is for the NID to call dibs."

"Good plan," Frost nodded, "Do you want some of the engineers sent over then? To help get it flight ready?"

"Mmmm, yeah, good idea. Thanks," Daniel nodded, already preoccupied with thinking about what he'd have to anticipate and do in order to ensure everyone's safety. Jack have him a distinctly indulgent and sappy look and then turned to the Major as well. This was Danny in 'full flight' and he hadn't had the privilege to see it in a while.

"And make sure that whoever comes has sufficient fire power - those animals will be waiting near the gate. Perhaps we could throw a few grenades covered in blood through - they'd do a lot more damage internally," he instructed, "I'll go with Jackson now - we'll keep in touch with your man Phillips. When we get the rings working we'll need to leave your injured here - they'll only be a risk. Make sure there's a few medics in the new bunch."

"Got it," Frost nodded and they moved out. Daniel was moving steadily, sweeping the corridors and side passages with his weapon and eyes, watching for any signs of traps or ambushes.

"Where are his Jaffa?" Jack asked as they scoped out the approach to the peltac. Daniel paused, glancing back at his friend, noting the 'game face' and resolute posture.

"I've only got a theory," Daniel warned him, moving forward when Jack indicated the corridor was clear, heading for the door of the command area and peeping through into the deserted area.

"I'd trust your theory before some people's facts," Jack told him and Daniel ground to a halt.

"Bullshit! What about Kheb and Euronda?" he called Jack on it and Jack sighed, reaching out a hand to touch Daniel's shoulder. This wasn't the right time for a heart to heart, but he had promised that he was only ever going to give Daniel the truth now - anything less was a betrayal, and Daniel had suffered enough of those at Jack's hands.

"I was an asshole, Daniel. Let's just say that the Universe has given me one hell of a wake up call and all I can do is ask for your forgiveness. I'm going to do the right thing by you Daniel, I just need a little more of your patience."

Daniel's mouth opened and closed for a moment before he gave Jack a jerky nod and then stepped carefully into the peltac. No bolts of lightening, other weapons or disasters struck. He moved over to the consol in the middle of the room and started to very carefully look it over.

"Your theory?" Jack prompted, realising that Daniel had also become indoctrinated in the way of not sharing what he knew - the last year had shown him that Jack just didn't want to know.

"Uh, well, I guess this guy has been here for thousands of years, ever since he left earth. I don't know why he dropped out of the power hierarchy, but with no indigenous or enslaved people nearby, his Jaffa would eventually be taken over by their larva and become rivals themselves. So he probably sent them to build his traps and clues and then somehow killed them off or trapped them somewhere so they couldn't reveal his location," Daniel had eased the sides of the consol open and was looking very carefully at the crystals inside.

"He probably entered the sarcophagus to hibernate or something, then. Why was his host so old?" Jack looked around at the walls carefully for any sudden movement that would indicate that Daniel had set off a trap.

"He'd have to emerge every now and then to see to the maintenance of the ship - even dormant like this there's the possibility of systems failure. Not to mention the possibility that the ship might be discovered by accident. And after a while the Goa'uld swap hosts anyway - it's possible that the human body becomes immune to the sarcophagus after a time. Apophis needed to use it fairly regularly to repair the aging. That's why he made the Harcessis."

"Huh?" Jack asked, looking over with a frown. Shifu was a painful subject.

"Genetically, the Harcessis is a blend of Goa'uld and Human DNA. That would mean a host who not only accepts, but craves the Goa'uld penchant for homicidal activities, but one who reacts better to the use of Goa'uld technology," Daniel's voice was absent minded - Jack estimated his friend was only paying the barest attention to the conversation they were having. He was in the ideal state to divulge a few secrets - Jack had learnt this in the early stages of their friendship - but the Colonel knew that right now any information gained by this method would be yet another betrayal. He had a lot to make up for. Daniel was more than worth it. A slow, steady regaining of Daniel's trust, followed by a gentle courtship. That was the only way to summon the future for them both.

"Crap," Daniel sighed and looked over at Jack, "He's rigged this. I'm going to need time to work this out."

"In the meantime, can the marines sweep the rest of the ship? Save us doing it later. If we can secure it, then all we need do is wait for you," Jack suggested and Daniel grimaced a little.

"No pressure," he mumbled, misunderstanding Jack's words. Jack reached over and put a hand on the other man's shoulder.

"That's right, Daniel. No pressure. We are in no hurry here whatsoever. We're each carrying a weeks rations and if the ship is secure then there's no rush for us to go anywhere or do anything. You don't have to figure this out under fire, in the dark with your hands tied behind your back. Besides, Hammond can send us extra people, food, whatever you need or want once we've cleared out those animals and reactivated the rings."

The weak joke earned him a little smile and nod that had Jack feeling a little better, though he wasn't sure that Daniel did.

0o0o0

The engineers had come through the gate and gone straight into raptures. Daniel had okayed the rest of the ship, their friend the dead Goa'uld had been as arrogant as all the others and only set the one trap, though no one was flying the death gliders anywhere until they'd been checked from top to bottom, a job that would have to wait until the main trap was deactivated. Unable to start playing with the big toys until Daniel made them safe, the engineers had poured over the ring room, raising clouds of dust that had eventually managed to overcome Daniels meds and send him into fits of sneezing and coughing. Janet had sent through some heavy duty pills and the engineers and marines had started cleaning, pulling the dusty rags from the walls and sending them out of the ship using the rings. The wounded went home for treatment and Hammond agreed to Daniel's suggestions about the Alpha site and Tokra.

Jack was on his last nerve. Daniel barely ate and didn't sleep as he tried to deactivate the final trap. The engineers had taken one look and agreed it was better that Daniel work on it. They had been able to tell Jack that the ship was in orbit and cloaked. There were no other unusual crystal formations in the engineering section or anywhere else that they could see - not that it was necessary. The trap in the peltac would destroy the ship outright.

While the rest of the personnel wandered the ship and inventoried the armoury and many other interesting gadgets they could see, Jack sat silently with Daniel, watching the man he loved work, mutter and frown. Now and then he'd slip a canteen of water or a ration bar into Daniel's hand - and watch as the offering was consumed without thought. The vigil reinforced to Jack that the man he loved was a brilliant scholar - leagues above Carter, though she was top of her field. His ability to teach himself whatever he needed, and concentrate to the exclusion of the outside world awed Jack, who was the first to admit that he was easy to distract unless they were in combat. Daniel's eyes were almost solid red by the time he looked up and smiled. His hands were trembling in fatigue, as was the rest of his body. Jack had started giving him massages, a limb at a time, careful not to distract his friend from the work at hand. Daniel's moans of relief had been unconscious and raised some rather uncomfortable swelling below Jacks belt line. He'd tucked those sounds away in his memory for the next time he and Rosie Palm were alone with her five daughters.

"Got it," the relief and pride in his voice made Jack smile back in response. Daniel's voice was rough and unused, but there was nothing that some sleep and a decent meal wouldn't cure. Jack made himself promise that he wouldn't mother Daniel to within an inch of his life - at this point the other man wouldn't appreciate or trust the motives behind it.

"You know how to disarm it? Good job, Danny," he said gently, "When do you want to do it?"

"I need to sleep," Daniel confessed, a guilty look stealing over his so tired face, "Sorry Jack, my hands are too shaky to try it now. Give me a couple of hours…"

"Days," Jack corrected serenely, "You can take a couple of days - we're in no rush now. I want to see you sleep for at least twenty four hours before you try this. Come on, I've got your bedroll set up."

Daniel was too tired to protest as he was helped tenderly to his feet and ushered out to a small room adjacent to the peltac. Jack had vigorously exterminated the dust in here when Daniel started sneezing so the man he loved would have a clean room to rest in. He recognised the glyphs that told him the First Prime had slept here and let Jack lower him to the bedroll. His boots were removed and so was his jacket. The sleeping bag felt incredibly inviting and Daniel decided to just relax for a moment.

Jack smiled as Daniel passed right out to sleep and finished zipping the bag up. He walked over to the doorway and hit his com, calling Frost to inform the major that Daniel had cracked it and would be trying to remove the trap when he woke. Frost acknowledged and sent Mooney down to inform the General. They were 'phoning in' daily progress reports to the SGC, and Sam and Teal'c had been sending reams of reference material and instructions over for Daniel and the engineers.

Report finished, Jack went back to stretch out on his own bedroll next to Daniel. The man he loved was a peaceful sleeper for the most part - nightmares occasionally marred the other man's rest, but that was a part of working for the SGC unfortunately. Daniel's face looked younger as he slept, the lines of fatigue were slowly easing from his face, and the stubble wasn't visible among the folds of sleeping bag. He had snuggled down and curled onto his stomach a little, rucking the bag up around his chin. Jack smiled goofily, reached out to brush a tender fingertip over Daniel's temple, then lay back and went to sleep too.

0o0o0

Jack grinned in relief as Daniel put the piece of crystal to one side and then stood, replacing the cover on the consol and waving a hand over it. The technology hummed to life immediately, a status hologram scrolling through the air in obedience to Daniel's request.

"We're all clear," Daniel smiled, his face glowing as he turned to look at his CO. Jack laughed and grabbed him into a hug, squeezing hard and ruffling through his hair affectionately, before letting go with one hand and making the announcement over his radio. Cheers and congratulations came back for Daniel straight away in response to the jubilant 'he did it'.

Daniel had his arms around Jack too, making Jack think that maybe he had a better chance with his love than he first thought. The sandy head was resting on his shoulder and Daniel was relaxed, leaning in trustingly.

"You're the best, Daniel. I know that Teal'c and Sam are cheering for you back on the mountain," Jack said gently, "I knew you'd do it."

"Thanks Jack," Daniel's voice was a little muffled, "I was a little worried…"

"I know," Jack admitted, "You didn't want us hurt if you made a mistake. It's who you are - you take good care of everyone around you."

"What's happening here, Jack? Are we friends again?" Daniel looked up, moving back a little so he could look Jack in the eye without breaking their loose hold on each other. It felt so good to be held. It had been so long since the last time someone who loved him had held him close…

"That would be a good start," Jack let his face show how much he wanted that, "If you can forgive me…"

"I can," Daniel put his head back down for a moment and then pulled away, smiling to alleviate the small rejection. Too much close contact and his lower brain would start getting excited. It wouldn't do to run Jack off now that they were trying to repair the friendship once more. Jack grinned at him, happy that they'd taken the first step forward and then looked up as Frost and Mooney came barrelling in, followed by the rest of the Marines.

Daniel became the centre of a noisy group of excited men, where he was congratulated and touched. The noise level was unbelievable, and got louder when the engineers got there, having activated the rings to bring themselves back on board after the Marines had. Daniel had cleared everyone off the ship, though Jack had refused to go.

"Next stop Alpha Site!" Frost yelled over the noisy crowd, "And this time, Jackson, we're not leaving!"

"Ok, ok," Daniel laughed, a carefree sound. They let him go and he headed back to the consol.

"The General says that he'll alert Alpha and make sure that they're all ready for us. As soon as we arrive he wants to inspect us," Frost said to Jack as the ship awoke under Daniel's deft touch and broke orbit while the techs took notes and generally had kittens over the things Daniel was explaining. The cloaking device alone was a treasure - even if it was old fashioned compared to the ones the Tokra used.

"We'd better get this pile of dust into shape then," Jack grinned, raising his voice a little to be heard over the quiet murmurs in the room, "And while we're on the way, the techs can start checking for homing beacons on the death gliders."

"On our way, sir," the techs grinned and headed for the bay while the Marines fell into details and headed out under Mooney's direction.

"So, Jackson, I guess this is our last mission together," Frost said, moving to lean against the consol and look out at the strange effect that painted the forward screen.

"I guess, for a while. I'll come out whenever you need me, you know that right?" Daniel looked over at the Major and grinned, "Besides, SG 1 will probably need your services eventually. As a first contact team we seem to run into a LOT of strange circumstances."

"Ain't that the truth," Frost chuckled, "We'll be there when you need us. Don't forget poker night though - I've still got some cash you haven't fleeced me of yet."

"I'll be there," Daniel laughed and Frost slapped him on the back once more before heading out. Jack stood quietly, not wanting to break the spell. He wasn't sure he'd heard correctly - Daniel had just resigned from SG 3. Sure, the assignment had only been temporary, but a part of Jack had harboured a very real fear that they'd lose Daniel to another team at the end of this mission anyway. It looked like he'd been granted a pardon after all.

"Welcome back, Daniel," he whispered and Daniel turned to look at him with a smile and said the two most beautiful sentences Jack had ever heard.

"I never really left, Jack. I promise you I'll always come back."

0o0o0

Sam and Teal'c tried not to crowd the General as he walked up the ramp to the event horizon. He had not travelled through the gate as often as they had - and while it wasn't something they'd ever become blasé about, the awe and wonder stage was firmly in their past. They were eager to see their compatriots on the other side and explore the wonder that Daniel and his team had secured for the SGC.

Hammond took a breath and stepped through the horizon, stumbling a little on the other side and breathing out hard to avoid coughing. Sam and Teal'c moved forward with him, knowing that the best way to get over the shock of reintegration was to keep moving. The people of Alpha site were saluting and the General moved to inspect them, trying hard not to stare at the mother ship parked so casually to one side of their settlement.

Daniel and Jack were standing with Major Frost and the marines at the top of the ramp that had been deployed to allow access to the ship. Jack was grinning all over his face, as was Frost. Daniel was a little more reserved, though those who knew him well could see his pleasure. Sam risked a big grin and a little wave to him and received a sweetly grave smile in return. She felt a little stab of sorrow - at one time he'd have been sending her 'evil twin' signals. She'd breached that relationship with him when she allowed herself to be chased by the Colonel and started leaving Daniel out in the cold.

"General Hammond, welcome aboard the liberated mother ship: Jackson's Treasure," Frost said, stepping aside to let Hammond aboard, "We think you'll be impressed sir."

Daniel was spluttering to Jack quietly, who elbowed him in a kindly 'shut up doofus and live with it' manner. Teal'c slid over to Daniel's side, shadowed by Sam. Frost noticed - and so did the General - so the two men disappeared into the ship to let Daniel debrief with his team first.

"You are a credit to your people, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c rumbled gently and Daniel gave him a puzzled look, then his face cleared.

"Skaara! He'll know how to fly one of these as well, and the technology!"

Jack wondered when Daniel stopped being a member of the Tauri and started being one of the Abydonians. Daniel didn't give him long to wonder though as his face fell and he immediately started contradicting himself.

"No, no, too many bad memories- don't want to hurt him with all this again…we can work it out for ourselves - I'm sure you'll do it in no time Sam. You and your people are the best," he looked over at her hopefully and Sam nodded, smiling again.

"Sure, we'll manage," she assured him, "Especially if you help out - it might not be your field, but you've never let that stop you, right Daniel?"

"…" Daniel gaped at her, stunned. He'd always been careful not to encroach on Sam's territory, though they were supposedly on the same side. She hated it when he bested her in her own field - though he never set out to do so. If a problem caught his imagination though…

"I'll ask the General if SG 1 can be assigned to the initial detail," Jack picked up the conversational slack smoothly, "I think there's something here for everyone, don't you?

"Dr Jackson!" Hammond's voice cut into any reply they might have made. Daniel turned, stepping around Teal'c to make himself visible. Hammond was beaming from ear to ear, as were the personnel behind him.

"Yes sir?" Daniel asked and Hammond stopped, snapped to attention - as did the people with him - and snapped a sharp salute to his archaeologist.

"Well done, Dr Jackson. You may have just won the war for us," Hammond's tone was warm as SG 1 crashed to attention as well and Daniel looked around in astonishment. A fiery blush crawled over his cheeks for a moment and then he straightened out of his accustomed slouch to his full height, returning the salute solemnly, his gestures as correct as any regular airman.

Hammond dropped the salute and stepped forward to grab his number one civilian into a bear hug. Jack looked over at Teal'c, shrugged in answer to the raised eyebrow, snagged Sam's elbow and turned it into a group hug.

0o0o0

"What the smegging smeg is he smegging doing?"

Dave Lister - Red Dwarf

0o0o0

Daniel grinned at Jack as his friend settled back onto the couch after seeing Carter and Teal'c out the door. They'd had a team night to end all nights - in fact it had lasted two nights and one day, with the second day resulting in a lot of sleeping and consumption of aspirin. Teal'c was sober enough to take Sam home, and Daniel was playing on the blood alcohol thing in order to spend the night with Jack - platonically of course.

His Jack grinned back and turned on the game, settling down to watch his team chase another team all over the ice in an effort to prove their skill and general toughness. Daniel didn't mind street hockey - he'd even played it in college before it became 'cool' - but ice hockey just didn't interest him. He watched it for the opportunity to be with a friend, doing something non vital to the future of the planet. Despite the way some of these fans carried on the fate of the world didn't hang in the balance of the game.

"Ok?" Jack asked in a break and Daniel nodded, happy to just sit as they used to, the old friendship proving to be as hard to kill as he was. It had emerged from the shadows, a little battered, but entirely intact. The last few weeks on 'Jackson's Treasure' - whose idea was that, the marines sure weren't talking - had allowed SG 1 to regain their balance. Daniel was once more a part of the team, and he had the added bonus of the marine's good graces as well. The days had been full of hard work and concentration, but the nights - well, the ones where Jack had managed to drag him out of the ship and over to the encampment for food and sleep - had been one long holiday. Daniel hadn't felt this accepted since Abydos.

"Yeah," Daniel sighed and leaned into the support of the cushions, watching as Jack once more got into the game, yelling at the players and the ref indiscriminately. The game was actually pretty tense, came down to a penalty shoot that had Jack rocking on the couch with sympathetic 'body English'. His team won and he was up off the couch, yodelling ecstatically, hands in the air. He turned and grabbed Daniel by the collar and Daniel got up in response to the not so subtle urgings, laughing a little and protesting lightly. Jack crushed them together in a hug and then planted one on Daniel's mouth.

Even the sound from the TV seemed muted as he paled and stared at Daniel in shock. Daniel stiffened in his arms and then relaxed, slumping a little. He brought his hands up to pat Jack's arms where they were still folded around his body.

"It's ok Jack," he told the pale silent man, "I know it didn't mean anything."

Jack let go reflexively in response to the weary acceptance in Daniel's voice and the archaeologist turned away, mumbling a goodnight and heading for bed. No doubt there would be an apology in the morning - something along the lines of 'forgot where I was' in all likelihood. Daniel had been attracted to Jack from somewhere around the third or fourth mission - the friendship had always had the opportunity to go along a different avenue if Jack hadn't been straight enough to use for a ruler. Or even if he had been that way inclined, Daniel was pretty sure that he just didn't do anything for Jack.

Clothes were dropped to the floor and Daniel climbed into the spare bed in his boxers, only interested in sleeping now as he waited for Jack to decide if he could overcome the embarrassment of kissing a male friend. He only hoped that it wouldn't lead to another round of 'Danny whumping'.

0o0o0

Jack locked up by rote, his mind whirling. In one glorious moment he had revealed himself to Daniel - and not even in the suave, confident manner he'd planned. He'd planted one on Daniel like some drunken idiot, then froze like Bambi in the headlights. And Daniel's eyes! He'd read them as clearly as if they were a flight plan. The loving hope, followed by sick realisation and then the stoic retreat. Daniel wanted more from Jack and for an instant had hoped he'd get it. But Jack had been so concerned with his own agenda that he'd allowed Daniel to think he wasn't wanted…wasn't loved!

Jack bolted up the stairs and burst into Daniel's room, startling the man who was just reaching to turn out the bedside lamp.

"Jack?" Daniel's voice was concerned, he started to sit up as if he thought they were being summoned back to work or something. Jack threw himself onto the bed, pulling Daniel down and onto his side in a pretty comprehensive hug. He wrapped his legs around Daniel's as well to make sure that his man wasn't going anywhere and waited out the protesting squirm and complaints. Daniel could break his hold if he really wanted, and probably would at some point, but for now Jack was waiting for peace - so he could add the tranquillity.

"We need to talk," Jack confessed, "And I thought it could wait another couple of years. Until I retired. Then I thought that maybe I could wait a few months, get you comfortable with me again. I didn't mean to kiss you down there, but…"

"I love you too, Jack. I know you love me. I forgive you," Daniel cut through the painful ramblings and straight to the chase. Jack gaped at him and considered fainting. He KNEW? All this time? And he still forgave him?

"I'm not stupid Jack. Or naïve, clueless or a eunuch. I've been around the block with both sexes and don't have a real preference. I figured the male on male thing was a stumbling block for you and decided not to push," Daniel continued gently. Jack made a strangled sound and buried his face in the wonderfully scented and warm neck while Daniel took him out sweetly at the knees.

"Your friendship is enough for me Jack - I'll never push for more than you want to give. Just…don't go back to hating me ever again Jack. I'll leave if you do. I won't suffer through it a second time, love you or not. Do you understand me?"

"Yes," Jack vowed, looking up into clear blue eyes, "I understand. You'll never have to suffer through it again. But you're wrong, Daniel. You will demand and push - it's who you are and what I need. It's why our friendship worked. I turned into a selfish bastard and you slapped me upside the head. Can you do that for your lover too, Danny?"

"You bet your sweet ass I will O'Neill," Daniel growled and planted one on his colonel the right way. Jack's toes curled, his ears roared and bits of him leapt to give a twenty one gun salute as Daniel licked, suckled and tongued his way through Jack's lips and into his mouth where he went looking for his appendix. Just as Jack was about to pass out from anoxia and sheer pleasure, Daniel broke the kiss and leaned back to look at him with a smug little smirk.

"And THAT is how we do that," he murmured and kissed the tip of Jack's nose before snuggling in close and going to sleep with a single deep breath. Leaving Jack hanging with a hard on that wouldn't quit. Jack began to realise exactly what he was getting himself into. He grinned hard and settled in for the night. He wouldn't have it any other way.

Sleeping in Daniel's arms was a pleasure, but waking up was a delight. Jack was warm, comfortable and his cock was in a very happy place.

"Good morning!" he gasped, and Daniel mumbled something indistinct. Jack wanted to tell him not to talk with his mouth full, but he had something else on his mind as Daniel's tongue and suction launched him straight into the stratosphere screaming his love all the way. Just when he thought it couldn't get any better a slick finger showed him it could, going boldly where no man had gone before and touched a spot deep inside that had him preverbal and liquefied in seconds. The ecstasy roiling through his body was almost too much to bear, and his climax almost went unnoticed among the myriad of sensations that were clamouring for his attention.

He came back to himself cradled in Daniel's arms once more, a tender hand petting his head and neck with slow strokes.

"Mmmf," Jack announced his return to the planet and struggled to move pleasure heavy limbs so he could look at his lover. Daniel's eyes were concerned, but cleared at the distinctly sappy look of devotion he was getting.

"Did you like that?" Jack would have bought the hesitant, diffident tone if not for the smug look on Daniel's face. He nodded as vigorously as he could in his drained dry and nearly comatose condition.

"Good," Daniel purred, "We'll be doing that again soon."

Jack shook his head and tried to communicate that he was all tapped out. Daniel laughed and patted his head back down onto the broad smooth chest, letting his hands wander freely now that Jack was in what SG 1 liked to call his right mind.

"Jack, have you ever had a man before me?" Daniel asked gently, "Experimented, maybe? As a teen or in barracks?"

Jack shook his head no and sighed happily as he snuggled into his private property. Daniel had been with a man - you don't suck someone into the next galaxy like that without some practise. It didn't bother him - Daniel usually knew more than Jack about various stuff and Jack had no problem learning. His linguist was a great teacher. Daniel's hands froze for a second and then started moving again when the colonel gave a grumpy grunt, urging them on.

"You're kidding," Daniel sounded amazed, "The way you reacted, I thought…wow. I'll be your first."

"Only," Jack lifted his head just enough to clarify that little point, "No others. This is it."

"For me too, my Jack," Daniel promised, "Forever and a day."

Aw, who knew the boy could be so sappy? Jack didn't in any way think this translated to him being allowed to be sappy in any way shape or form - Daniel would kick his butt. Jack kissed the nipple near his mouth, then licked it experimentally. It hardened as he watched, so he settled in for some nibbling - something the women he'd been with had appeared to appreciate. So did Daniel if the approving sighs and pats were anything to go by.

"Jack," Daniel whispered, "You can touch anything, do anything you like."

Jack twisted up onto one elbow, kissed Daniel tenderly in thanks and set out for some peaceful exploration of planet Jackson. Daniel's hands guided him to the places that felt best and Jack smiled. On the job training. Cool! He'd heard Daniel say learning was a life long process. Sign him up for that course!


End file.
